


Heartlines

by AutumnLeavesSoaring



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: M/M, Magic, Post-6B, Shapeshifting, True Love, Witch Curses, Wolf Theo Raeken, all the tropes!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-04-24
Packaged: 2019-03-01 05:06:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13287624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AutumnLeavesSoaring/pseuds/AutumnLeavesSoaring
Summary: “I curse you Theo Raeken. I charge you to fill your black soul, or lose yourself to the void, forever hunted by the souls that haunt your dreams. I curse you to this form until you find true love.”Theo encounters a witch who he (unsurprisingly) manages to infuriate. The result? He’s cursed to his wolf form until he finds true love. This proves to be problematic, but luckily (or unluckily, Theo’s not quite sure) Liam finds himself inclined to help.





	1. A Murderer and a Thief - Theo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Started off as a cracky comedy in my head. Then my writing persona took over and added angst and a bunch of fluffy goodness. Chapters will alternate POV between each of our two boys.

Theo pushed at the rickety wooden door, a bell tinkling as he eased it open. It was dark inside, dust motes glinting in the dim beams of light coming from tiny windows. He cocked his head, listening for any movement before cautiously stepping into the shop.

It looked like something out of a budget fairy-tale movie. Lopsided wooden shelves packed with strange objects that were obscured by cobwebs and a thick layer of dust, low hanging beams with unrecognisable plants and paraphernalia drooping from them. Everything seeming to creak as Theo shifted his weight. His nose wrinkled at the smell, could taste it in his throat; damp mixed with herbs and spices, chemicals and dead creatures… and wolfsbane.

He moved carefully down an aisle, eyeing up the jars lining the dusty shelves. He tried not to think too much about the dubious contents and the noxious scents coming from them, but he was pretty sure something floating in a green goo blinked at him. His ears continued to strain in the silence, listening for the person whose faint scent still lingered in the store. But it wasn’t a sound or smell that made him freeze. _He felt someone watching him._ Lightning fast he span around, arms ready to lash out at the person behind him.

He was shocked at how close she was, barely a step away with her arm outstretched, hand shaped like a gun and pointed at his head.

“Oh that’s really not gonna help you,” he smirked, his fingernails shifting into claws.

“I beg to differ, Chimera.”

Theo masked his shock, but prepared himself to fight if needed. “Is this how you treat all your customers? I hate to tell you this, but it’s not a very effective sales strategy.”

“You can’t be too careful these days. There’s lots of unsavoury types around here: con artists,… thieves,…” she quirked an eyebrow, “ _murderers_.”

Theo’s eyes flashed at the thinly veiled threat, but before he could do anything else the woman’s hand flicked up, mimicking a gun firing, and Theo was being flung backwards. He crashed into the counter at the opposite end of the room and a force bent him backwards over it. It held him down, his arms outstretched to either side of him. He strained, but couldn’t push back against the invisible force holding him, his back digging painfully into the edge of the counter.

“You’re not nearly as good at hiding what you are as you think you are, Theo Raeken,” the woman said as she sauntered over to him. “Now why don’t we cut the chat and get to why you’re here.”

“I actually came here to be tied up by a Disney reject. I hear you offer certain services on the side,” Theo gasped, struggling against the pressure.

The woman sighed. “You and your merry little wolf band do like the sound of your own voices, howling at the moon without saying anything at all. I wonder if your alpha would be any more forthcoming?”

“What the hell are you talking about? I’m a Chimera, remember. I don’t have an alpha.”

“Now we both know that’s a lie. And I wouldn’t bring up hell if I were you sweety, that’s just asking for trouble.” Theo’s eyes widened. “Oh yes,” she continued with a smile, “I know all about that. And McCall, and all his little betas, foxes, science experiments, hounds of hell, banshees and former possessed. Your pack isn’t very discreet – it’s a wonder the town didn’t try to skin you all sooner. And, like I said, it’s pertinent to know what murderous creatures hang around in your neck of the woods. Especially in my line of work.”

“What do you want?” Theo growled, still straining to move.

“To know what you want.”

“Well right now I’d like to stand up.”

“And after that?”

Theo sighed, giving up on forcing back his invisible bonds. He sagged against the counter and lay there silently, the woman staring him down.

“I want werewolf blood.”

“And?”

Theo let out a puff of air. Finally he gritted out the thing he’d really come for. “And the Ghost Rider’s poison.”

She stepped away, nodding. “Ah, the Dread Doctor’s concoction. Well Theo, as easy as it is to acquire werewolf blood, I’m afraid the Ghost Rider’s unique products are unattainable. Myself and everyone else in the trade value our existence. I’m sure you understand.”

She made the mistake of turning her back to the Chimera. Theo took the chance to shift into his wolf form, his body shrinking beneath the restraints that pinned him to the table, which allowed him to wriggle beneath them. He landed with an ungraceful thump on the floor, darting to the right to grab the whip he’d spotted when being flung across the room earlier.

He sprinted towards the door that he’d made sure to leave open, his heart pounding and eyes gleaming with the exhilaration of success.

The door slammed shut and the whole building rattled with the force. Theo barely turned his body in time to avoid his head colliding with the door. The breath was forced from his lungs as he felt his ribcage crash into the wood, bones snapping under the pressure. His jaw fell open and the whip dropped to the floor.

Then he was being raised into the air, like some great hand was grabbing him by the scruff of the neck. His legs scrabbled uselessly through the air as his head snapped back and forth, trying to break away from the force holding him in front of the woman.

“Bad move to steal from a witch Theo. We’re not known for our forgiving natures,” she hissed, her whole demeanour changing in her rage. Theo cringed back from her. “And to think I was trying to help you. You do not need the Dread’s drugs as much as you think Theo,” she spat out, drawing closer and closer to his floating body.

Theo tried to lunge at her, snapping his jaws at her face. A canine scraped across the tip of her nose, blood appearing from the slight graze he left. Her hand snatched up unnaturally fast and closed around his muzzle, holding it shut in a vicious grip. This close, Theo could see her pupils expand over her irises and colour her whole eyes, even the whites, black. He whined in fear.

The room shook as she opened her mouth and spoke in a thunderous voice that echoed and filled his ears with white noise.

“I curse you Theo Raeken. I charge you to fill your black soul, or lose yourself to the void, forever hunted by the souls that haunt your dreams. I curse you to this form until you find true love!”

She released his muzzle and flung her other hand forward, hitting him in the chest and smashing him backwards through the door, which broke apart beneath the force of his body and her spell. He hit the ground with a thud, meters away from the rickety old cottage, the splinters of wood pulling back into the door and sealing it closed as if nothing had happened.

Theo thrashed on the ground, his body twisting painfully so that he could get his paws beneath him. He sprinted into the woods, ignorant to the burning in his chest from his broken bones and his skin sitting tighter under a curse. He fled in instinctual terror, blindly running, running, running.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta-ed, so let me know if you spot any mistakes. Constructive criticism always welcome!
> 
> Come say hi on tumblr! (And help me figure out how to use the damn thing!)


	2. Cry Wolf - Liam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam just wants to play Lacrosse. The supernatural says no.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we get Liam's POV!

Liam sprinted towards the net, twisting his body to avoid Nolan by a hair’s breadth, continuing to race towards the goal. The goalie shrank before him as he leapt into the air, bringing his stick down in a fierce arc that sent the ball smashing into the back of the net.

He landed, wrenching his helmet from his head and storming over to the goal.

“How is cowering going to stop the other team from scoring?”

“I’m only the back-up goalie Liam, Corey’s got this down!”

“And Corey’s not here, proving the point that you need to practice being in goal!” Liam crossed his arms and glared at the other player.

“You know I’m no good at this Dunbar!”

“You’re right,” Nolan said, jogging to stand beside Liam. “You’re in nett because you’re twice the size of everyone else and your reflexes aren’t terrible. You might work best as a battering ram, but you’re also the best option for Corey’s back-up. And Liam’s like two foot shorter than you so stop freaking out every time he comes at you or you’re going to ruin that tough guy reputation.” Nolan looked pointedly to the stands where a group of girls sat laughing.

The other boy scowled and took a step back into the goal, planting his feet and gripping his stick with determination. Liam turned to Nolan with his own glare.

“I’ve made you cry before.”

“If he can be goaded into standing up to a werewolf, then he can face down any normal teenager… And I didn’t cry.”

Liam laughed, nudging Nolan playfully as he jogged past him. Practice continued around them as the players worked in small groups to focuss on specific skills and drills. Liam winced as a ball whizzed past Coach’s head, one boy swearing under his breath as Finstock started screaming about using his incompetent ass as target practice.

The team had a long way to go before they were ready for the first match of the season. Liam sighed. At this rate, it would be him, Corey and Nolan holding up the rest of the team.

Liam let that thought fire him up as he span to face the net, bending to flick a ball into his stick and looking up at Nolan with a feral grin. It grew wider when he heard Nolan gulp.

Without warning, Liam charged straight at his co-captain, hoping he’d scare him into backing down. But Nolan was not so easily put off, and he ran straight towards Liam, a determined grimace on his face. So Liam planted his foot, throwing himself into a spin that bounced him off Nolan’s body, using the momentum to push himself towards the goal faster.

To his utter surprise, the goalie span on his heel and ran behind the net, sprinting straight back towards the school. Liam stopped, not even bothering to throw the ball into the open goal. Instead, it thudded to his feet at he stared at the boy running faster than he’d ever seen him run before.

“What the hell?”

“Erm, Liam?” Nolan whispered, drawing Liam’s attention back towards the pitch.

Nolan was backing slowly towards Liam, his heart pounding and the scent of fear pouring from him. Liam followed Nolan’s line of sight to see, standing in the middle of the pitch, shivering and thrashing its head from player to player, was a black wolf.

The creature growled and whined, shifting its weight between its two front paws, its tail pressed down between its legs and a snarl on its face.

The other players had begun to notice the wolf in their midst, moving away from it. Some brought their lacrosse sticks down in front of them, causing the wolf to bare more of its teeth. Liam could see the whites of its eyes, could feel fear turning into vicious rage inside it, the mixture of it and everyone else’s terror grating at Liam’s own instincts, calling for him to run or attack.

Liam ignored the feeling. He moved forward slowly and smoothly to stand in front of Nolan.

“Everyone calm down and get back now. Don’t move your sticks.” He moved forward again, lowering his body slightly with each step.

“Dunbar what are you doing?” Coach hissed. “Get back from that extremely dangerous wild animal!”

Liam glanced around, seeing that the other students had backed up to the edge of the field, many breaking away and running towards the school, leaving just himself, Nolan and Coach still on the pitch. He looked towards Coach, his golden eyes blazing.

“I’m dangerous too Coach,” he said, turning his gaze on the wolf and crouching lower. The wolf stared directly at him. From this distance, Liam could almost taste the pain coming from the animal. But beneath the fear scorching Liam’s nose he could make out something familiar.

“Theo?” he whispered. The wolf twitched. Liam sped up his steps, but the wolf raised its head, snapping its jaws at him.

Liam froze. The snarling wolf stared at him. He slowly sank to his knees and lifted his hand haltingly, arm stretched towards those bared teeth.

“You know me Theo,” he soothed, continuing to move his hand closer to the wolf’s snout. Its lips twitched. “Stop with all the teeth. I really don’t want to have to explain surviving a mauling. Or get expelled for punching a wolf unconscious,” he rambled, hoping that Theo would recognise his voice.

Theo stared at him for a moment longer. Liam’s fingertips were so close to his muzzle that he could feel the wolf’s pants brush across the backs of his fingers. The wolf sniffed.

Its snarl disappeared, a high whine replacing his growl, before his eyes rolled and he slumped to the ground.

“Shit!” Liam sprang to the fallen wolf and ran his hand through the air just above Theo’s body, barely brushing his fur, not wanting to cause any more pain. But Theo was out cold.

Liam’s head snapped up as he heard sirens approaching. He pictured a policeman pointing a rifle at Theo’s head and panicked. He had to get him out of there.

Liam slid his hands underneath Theo’s body, pulling him against his chest as gently as he could. The wolf’s head lolled against his shoulder.

“Liam, _what are you doing_?” Coach practically screamed, but Liam ignored him, running towards the woods with Theo cradled in his arms.

“Don’t worry Coach, I know this wol- dog!” he shouted back. “Nolan can you explain to the police? Thanks!”

And with that he sprinted into the treeline, not even looking back at the humans left on the pitch.

“What the fuck have you done this time Theo?” he whispered. It didn’t sound as angry as he meant it to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I may have now realised that I didn't deal with Theo's clothes in chapter 1, and while it would be hilarious to have him wriggle out of them on the shop floor, it wouldn't really work with the whole him trying to steal the whip thing. So I'm just going to acknowledge my idiocy, leave it as is, and move on. You can also choose to ignore my slip up or pick one of the following solutions:
> 
> 1) The witches spell that held him to the counter was pressing down so hard, that when Theo shifted his movement caused all his clothes to shred to pieces... because *cough* magic *cough*
> 
> 2) Theo now has the ability to make his clothes shift when his body shifts. He's just that amazing.
> 
> 3) Theo was naked the whole time.
> 
> On another note, I think Coach knows that many of his team have weird shit going on, so Liam showing his wolf-eyes to him is no big deal. Coach still thinks he's nuts to approach an angry wolf.
> 
> Thank you to all the wonderful people who have commented and kudosed here, and liked and reblogged on tumblr. I cannot describe how happy you've made me. I'd love to hear more of what you think! Comments will get a flail because that's how I roll. If it's on tumblr you'l probably get a gif...


	3. Constricted - Theo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo wakes up. It's not very fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for some descriptions that are slightly graphic. I don't think they're too bad, but I don't want to squick anyone out. If you want an explanation before you decide to go ahead, click to the author notes at the end of this chapter.
> 
> Back to Theo's wolfy POV.

Theo woke slowly.

The first thing he became aware of - beyond the pain that was so common an occurrence that it no longer registered as strange - was that he felt restricted. It was like something encased every inch of his skin. He shuddered, trying to rid his body of the tight, claustrophobic feeling.

It didn’t work. Instead, the binding seemed to shrink, tightening around him. He jumped up in shock, limbs stiff as he tried to stand and twist around at the same time to bite and pull at the thing he was caught in. But his teeth just pulled at his own fur, ripping it from his body as he tugged it in panic.

He stumbled, spinning and twisting, but could not see anything covering his body. He screech-yelp-whined.

Then Theo realised he was not alone. He turned, snarling at the person who had just entered the room. Theo had to force himself to relax when he recognised Liam, denying the instinct to _fight-run-escape_ that thrummed through his body.

“Hey,” Liam said after an awkward pause where both boys stared at each other. “Erm, do you wanna…” Liam waved his hand in a vague gesture at Theo’s body, and Theo looked down at his paws before understanding what Liam wanted. Theo took a moment to consider simply running from this place, because he really didn’t feel like dealing with the beta whilst it felt like something was slowly squeezing the air out of him. But then he really didn’t want to suffocate to death on his own in the woods either.

Theo began to shift, hearing and feeling his bones crack and move in the familiar, uncomfortable, not-quite-painful way he was used to. But then there _was_ pain – excruciating pain – as his skin refused to stretch with his insides. He could feel his fur drawing back into him, but his skin was being pulled taught, refusing to flow with the change, and with a crack it split across his back. The bones in his paws snapped, jagged breaks bursting through his unyielding skin.

“THEO! Stop! Calm down!”

Liam was directly in front of him, his wolfed-out face close to Theo’s and his hand pushed up against Theo’s neck. Theo hadn’t noticed Liam move, hadn’t even noticed that he’d been howling and yelping. He snapped his jaws shut, whimpering as he tried to push the shift back into his wolf form. The pain began to fade, which helped him focus on the changes he needed to make - never having aborted a shift before, it was almost impossible to force his body back into the shape it had been. But his bones slowly withdrew from his flesh and clicked into place as he panted deep breaths, his fur flowing back over him and matting in the tears in his skin.

He opened his eyes, noticing the black veins moving up Liam’s arm, and pulled away, eyes wide.

“Is that how it’s supposed to happen? Because that looked like something out of a Saw film,” Liam breathed, eyes scanning over Theo’s ripped body.

Theo couldn’t help but whine. _Why couldn’t he shift?_

Then he remembered. He remembered the witch, her anger and his stupidity. Her words resonated in his head.

_I curse you to this form until you find true love._

_Fuck._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [The warning: Theo tries changing back to his human form, but can't. There's some breaking of bones and skin breaking, but like I said, it's not too graphically detailed and it's not on the level of some of the stuff we've seen on the show. I just don't want to shock anyone who's come looking for fluff.]
> 
> A big thank you to all who have kudosed, commented, liked and reblogged! Each one has made me feel extremely special, particularly the ones with feedback (and opinions on Theo's clothing situation!). It's really nice to hear what you liked and are excited about. Also questions are amazing and have sparked off ideas that have added to the plot, so if you wanna ask me something then please do! Or just come talk to me about anything!
> 
> Be warned, if you say anything on tumblr about this fic I will hit you up with a gif of appreciation. Comments here will receive a longer response than necessary, because that's just how much I love them.
> 
> ... Ok shutting up now. (My notes are like longer than my chapters *sigh*)


	4. Body Language - Liam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam can't understand Theo. It's frustrating for both parties.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Liam's back behind the wheel of the fic!

Liam could smell Theo’s panic, could sense the animal instinct to run, but he knew he couldn’t let that happen. He had to keep Theo there and find out what was going on. That’s what Scott would do. He thought of the chains hidden in his closet, but he really didn’t fancy his chances of trapping Theo in them.

He could hear Theo’s heart speeding, could see the whites of his eyes, and his ears pressed back against his head. He knew he had to do something before he lost Theo to the animal, a fight he had seen Malia struggle with; something Liam himself knew all too well even before being bitten.

He slid closer to the wolf and placed his hands on either side of Theo’s faces, ignoring the sharp jerk and snarl it caused. He gently moved until he was looking directly into Theo’s eyes, once again their faces were barely an inch apart. A small part of Liam wanted to pull back, to take his vulnerable neck away from the vicious canines of his former enemy, now not-quite-friend, who could kill him in one simple move. _What would Scott do?_ He leant in further. He let himself speak.

“Listen Theo. Close your eyes and listen to me,” he took a deep breath, closing his own eyes.

“What three things cannot long be hidden?” he breathed out, barely a whisper. “The sun. The moon. The truth. The sun. The moon. The truth. The sun. The moon. The truth. The sun. The moon. The truth.”

He said the words over and over. Felt the meaning behind them. Said them so many times that they lost all meaning. Felt them as words, and then nothing but movements and sounds. A soothing rhythm that was heavy with meaning and, in the same breath, light with nothingness. He lost himself to their pull.

Liam widened his senses from the mantra and felt how his heartbeat had slowed, not realising that it had picked up with Theo’s own. But the words didn’t have the same effect on Theo. Shivers still ran up and down his body, his heart still tripped, and he still smelled of fear. But he had closed his eyes, and Liam knew he wasn’t going to run. Now Liam was calm enough to think, to try something else.

“Listen to my heartbeat Theo. Just breath and listen,” and Liam took his own advice, closed his eyes again to just breathe and listen. Their heartbeats were out of sync, but then he heard the whisper of Theo’s breaths begin to slow. The wolf was calming, slowly, slowly.

Liam was so lost in those two things, breath and beat, that he nearly jumped when he felt a soft bump to his forehead. His eyes flew open to see thick black fur almost touching his nose. Theo had pressed their foreheads together, angling his face downwards so that his muzzle was held a hair’s breadth from Liam, the only point of contact was their foreheads, and Liam’s hands still cradling Theo’s face. Theo’s eyes were still tightly shut.

After a second, Theo pulled back and Liam let him, letting his hands fall away. Theo opened his eyes, slowly raising his head to look at Liam.

“Better?” Liam asked, even though he didn’t really need to. Theo dipped his head, which Liam took as a nod. “Good.”

Liam really didn’t know what to do now, so he shuffled into a more comfortable position on the floor. After the silence went on, he realised that he would have to be the one to break it, unless the Dread Doctors had magically given wolf-Theo the ability to speak.

“So… you can’t turn back then?”

Theo gave him a withering look.

“Just thought I’d make sure,” Liam mumbled. “And you can’t talk like… this,” he waved his hand at Theo, who somehow managed to portray how stupid the question was without the use of speech.

“Got it.” Liam puffed out a breath, moving to stand up.

“Right, guess I’ll call Scott then. And Malia, she’ll probably know more about this than anyone else – oh Derek too.”

He began to move across to his bed where he’d thrown his phone earlier, but Theo was suddenly in front of him, growling and barring Liam’s path.

“Dude, what the hell?” He stepped to the right, but Theo just moved with him.

“I need to call the others so we can figure out what to do.”

Liam tried to step around Theo again, but the wolf leapt forward and bit the air just in front of Liam’s leg, his jaws snapping shut viciously. Liam reared back in shock. Anger shot through him.

“Do that again and I’ll knock you out,” he said, eyes flashing gold in warning.

Theo growled louder. Liam growled back.

And then Theo was spinning. He lunged at the bed, grabbed Liam’s phone and sprinted out of the room before Liam could move more than a few steps. Liam chased after him down the hall before careening into the doorway to the bathroom that Theo had run into. Theo was stood inside, his front paws on the toilet seat as he held Liam’s phone between his teeth, dangling it dangerously over the basin. He turned his head slightly to stare at Liam.

“Ok, ok,” Liam said, holding his arm towards Theo in an effort to placate him. “I won’t call the pack. Just don’t drop my phone.”

Theo just continued to stare at him.

“Listen, I’m not lying. You can tell I’m not lying! I won’t call Scott! Or Malia, or Stiles, or Lydia...”

Theo cocked his head to the side, still looking at Liam. Liam tried desperately to think of what he might want to hear.

“Or… or Mason, or Corey… I won’t tell them, I won’t tell the pack. Theo I promise not to tell _anyone_.”

Finally Theo pushed away from the basin. He padded over to Liam and dropped the phone at his feet, before trotting back down the hallway.

Liam scooped up his phone. “I swear if you’ve scratched it I’m sending you back to hell,” he growled, turning it over and twisting it in the light to search for any damage. He heard a faint chuff come from his bedroom.

Finding his phone no worse off than before, Liam followed the sound back to his room, leaning against the doorframe as he watched Theo stare at his reflection in the mirror propped up against a wall.

“So what are you planning to do then?”

Theo ignored him, continuing to stare at himself.

“Because I have no idea. I mean I don’t even know how you ended up like this, or what even happens when someone stays like this. Derek was ok, but Malia went feral. I suppose she kinda still is… And I really don’t want to have to hide any bodies… or take you for walks. Or clean up after you! I am not doing that. But hey, if your great idea is to stand there admiring yourself until you starve, then fine, go ahead!” Theo gave no indication that he’d been listening to any of Liam’s tirade.

Liam pushed away from the wall.

“How are you still a dick when you can’t even talk.” He stormed away from the room, muttering about how he was fed up of being stuck with stupid, evil Chimeras who lived to ruin his life.

Liam continued downstairs to the kitchen and flung open the fridge. He was hungry and tired after Lacrosse practice and lugging an unconscious wolf halfway across town. His post-practice sandwich was still sitting in the fridge, and he pulled it out, biting into it angrily. Before he could even swallow, his phone began to ring. Seeing the caller ID he ate a few more bites, placing the phone on the counter. He really couldn’t be bothered dealing with another not-quite-friend who usually made life more difficult. But the phone continued to buzz incessantly, and he finally gave in and answered.

“What Nolan?” he garbled around a mouth of food.

“What the hell was that?” the boy shouted. Liam gulped his food down, suddenly remembering how he’d abandoned Nolan on the lacrosse field.

“Oh, nothing, just, y’know… a wolf,” he stuttered out. He didn’t know what to say. He’d promised Theo he wouldn’t tell anyone, and he’d meant it. But Nolan, and the whole team, had seen Theo. How was he going to talk his way out of this? Liam punched his way out of situations, it was Mason, or hell, even Theo who talked Liam’s way out of things.

“Just a wolf?” Nolan hissed.

“Yeah… I know him. From when I go running. And howling. In the woods.”

“So it’s a normal wolf?”

“Well I wouldn’t call him normal,” Liam mumbled the jibe at Theo, before adding “he’s a… friendly wolf.”

“Yeah it looked real friendly when it was about to attack us all on the pitch!”

“Well it’s usually friendly,” Liam muttered, and then thought of all the times Theo had insulted and punched him, “kinda. Look, he was just hurt, but I’ve sorted it out.”

“So it’s not like before?”

“Before?”

“When that wolf came onto the pitch last time and then the Anup-ite –“

“Anuk-ite,” Liam interrupted, realising why Nolan was so worked up. “Nolan, I swear it’s not like last time. It’s just a wolf.”

He heard Nolan sigh down the phone. Guilt gnawed at him as he thought of Nolan staring down a wolf again, this time knowing what actually goes on in Beacon Hills.

“Everything’s fine,” Liam reiterated.

“Okay.”

“Hey Nolan, what did you tell the police?” Liam asked, realising he needed to know what had happened after he left. He dreaded to think of the damage control he was going to have to do.

“Coach spoke to them before I could. He’s really mad by the way – says you deserve rabies. They didn’t really talk much to me, just ran into the woods after you.”

“Shit,” Liam whispered, turning to the door and half expecting the police to show up. He’d not be able to talk his way out of having a very conscious and easily angered wolf in his bedroom.

“Don’t worry, I went to the Sheriff’s station and spoke to Stilinski,” Nolan said, causing Liam to let out a sigh of relief. “Do you know how difficult it is to actually get someone to let you speak to him? I was there for like an hour. You owe me for this Dunbar.”

“How about I give you the Sheriff’s number – just for supernatural emergencies.”

“And Argent’s.”

“And Ar-“

“And Scott’s mom’s.”

“And hers too. All the pack’s,” Liam paused. “We’ll always help you if you need it Nolan.”

There was a long silence on the other end. “We’re square then. Just tell all your dangerous animal friends to stop trying to kill me, ok?”

Liam snorted. “Sorry, it doesn’t really work like that.”

“It was worth a shot. See you at school.”

“See you,” Liam pulled the phone away from his ear, but he caught Nolan quickly adding:

“Oh and expect a call from Stilinksi, he seemed pretty pissed. Said something about you being worse than his own son.”

“Thanks for the heads up,” Liam said before hanging up. At least he’d not have to wing that conversation like this one.

He continued to eat his sandwich, mulling over how he’d deal with the Sheriff. He went back to the fridge for orange juice, but paused when he saw a chunk of leftover beef from the previous night’s meal. It was what had gone into his sandwich, and there was a sizeable chunk left after his dad had stayed late to work an extra shift at the hospital.

Liam considered the meat, he pursed his lips and sighed deeply before taking it out and cutting it in half. He put one half on a plate and the other back into the fridge. Then he filled a bowl with water and took it and the meat upstairs to his room.

Theo looked as if he hadn’t moved in the time Liam had been gone, and he didn’t even seem to notice that Liam had returned.

“Hey Fido!” Liam exclaimed, grinning as Theo jumped slightly at the noise. “Feeding time!” He stepped into the room and placed the plate and bowl on the floor.

Theo finally looked across at him, glaring. But then his nose twitched. He looked down at the food, before looking back up at Liam again.

Liam rolled his eyes. “Go on, I didn’t bring it up here just to be looked at.”

And with that, Theo dove at the meat, pressing his paws onto it and gripping it with his teeth to tear a piece off and snap it down. He continued to eat in a frenzy until it was too small to hold onto with both paws and his mounth. Then he lay down, somehow managing to hold the remaining beef with his legs and gnaw on it with the teeth at the side of his mouth.

Liam watched all of this with fascination. He watched as the wounds that were still open across Theo’s body began to knit back together, and wondered why they hadn’t already.

When Theo had gulped down the last of the meat, he stood up and made his way to the bowl of water. He bent down, sniffing at it before his long, pink tongue dipped gently into and swirled through the water, lapping it up with loud slaps. Water droplets dripped from Theo’s mouth and flew through the air to land on Liam’s carpet. But some caught on Theo’s fur and whiskers, like tiny little gems. Liam noticed Theo watching him whilst he drank, but Liam didn’t look away from those yellow eyes staring back at him.

Theo finally lifted his head and drew back from the bowl, tongue licking his muzzle to catch the last of the water. There was still some left in the bowl, so Liam walked forward and picked it up, putting it and the empty plate out of the way in a corner of the room.

“I’ll just leave that there for you.”

Theo just continued to stare at him.

“So what is your plan?” Liam tried again. “Do you even know why you can’t turn back?”

At this Theo ducked his head.

“You do? Ok, that’s a good start at least. Do you think you’ll be able to do something to fix it?” Theo whined. “I’m going to take that as you don’t know,” Liam said, more question than statement. Theo ducked his head again.

“Ok, well at least we’re getting better at the whole communication thing.”

Theo huffed. Liam chose to ignore it.

“Do you think you might eventually change back if you just wait?” Liam asked, the hope clear in his voice.

Theo whined and shook his head. Liam shifted on his feet.

“Look Theo, I want to help you, ok? But I have no idea what we can do. Why can’t we just talk to the others?”

Theo growled, his hackles rising.

“Ok, I get it, no talking to the others. But we have to figure something out. Least of all because my mom will be back soon and she _cannot_ find a huge black wolf in the house.”

Theo looked down at the floor, scuffing a front paw gently against it. He looked up at Liam again before dipping his head and moving towards the exit.

Liam felt a pang of sadness for the boy, which he blamed completely on him currently being a wolf rather than an insufferable teenager.

“Theo wait,” he called, rubbing the back of his head in discomfort, “you don’t have to go yet ok. I said I’d help.”

He looked back over to the doorway where the wolf had paused and turned his head back to stare at Liam. This went on for a while and Liam felt like he was being deeply scrutinized. He let out a puff of air at the assessment and stood straighter, crossing his arms and glaring back at the wolf, suddenly feeling a lot less pity for the boy.

“Stop looking at me like that and get back here.”

Once Theo had moved back into his room, Liam went to the door and closed it, just in case his mom came home before Theo left. Turning back to the room he saw Theo standing awkwardly in the middle of the floor.

“Sit down,” he groused, and couldn’t help but chuckle as Theo sat, looking like a fully trained pet. Theo growled, but Liam just moved past him and threw himself backward onto his bed.

“Seen as we can only deal with yes and no answers, I’m thinking I should just start guessing what happened to you until I get to the right one. Like twenty questions,” he offered, glancing down at Theo. The wolf just stared back.

“That trick’s getting old dude,” he sighed, rolling onto his front so that he could look at Theo comfortably from the bed. He paused, thinking.

“Do you… think it was something you ate?”

Theo shook his head.

“Did it happen in the woods?”

Nope.

“Was it hunters?”

No.

“Something to do with wolfsbane?”

Theo gave him a withering glare.

“Right, that doesn’t work on you. That rules out mountain ash too then… Did _someone_ do this to you?”

Theo’s ears flicked in what Liam assumed was annoyance, but he nodded his head. Liam punched his hand into the air in victory. Theo rolled his eyes and laid himself down on the floor, dropping his head onto his paws.

“Was it a supernatural?”

Theo raised his head slightly and then lowered it again. Liam took that as a yes. He scrambled up so he was sitting on the bed.

“Are they dangerous?”

Theo shifted. He looked uncomfortable.

“Theo, what did you do?” Liam said, leaning forward and staring directly into the wolf’s eyes. Theo whined. “Could they hurt someone else? _Have_ they hurt someone else?”

Again Theo whined.

“You don’t know?”

Theo nodded slowly. Liam growled. “This isn’t working! You’re going to take me to where it happened and I’m going to call Scott!”

Theo scrambled up and yapped at Liam, but the boy ignored him, storming towards the door, intent on tracking where Theo had been before coming to the school - only to find himself being yanked to a halt by his t-shirt.

“Theo let go!” he yelled, clawing at the material at his neck as Theo continued to tug on his shirt like a toy, once again growling. Liam was being bent over backwards and could hear the fabric ripping. He gave it up as another piece of clothing lost to being a werewolf and pushed all his weight forwards, straightening up and grabbing hold of the door handle. He tugged the door open, and managed to take a step forward, his top finally giving in and tearing off in Theo’s mouth.

Liam fell forwards, crashing to the hallway floor, only to be tugged back into his room by his jeans. He flailed and kicked and scrabbled, finally managing to roll onto his back so that he could aim his kicks at the wolf. But Theo dodged him, jumping onto and winding him, before sitting down on his chest. Theo snarled down at Liam, drool dripping from his bared teeth and onto Liam’s face.

“Ugh, stop! You’re dripping on me!”

Liam turned his face away and tried to bat Theo off him, but the wolf stayed put, manoeuvring to lay his substantial weight on top of Liam, his furred neck pressing down onto the side of Liam’s face. Liam shifted to press the other side of his face further into the carpet as the hairs tickled his nose.

Liam’s fight left him, and instead he grumbled, “You owe me a new t-shirt,” to which he could have sworn he heard Theo chuckle. _Could wolves chuckle?_

They stayed like that for a while, Liam grumbling and half-heartedly trying to push Theo off. But Theo just managed to wriggle into a different position each time, still holding Liam down. Liam could have gotten up if he really wanted to, but he had calmed down enough to realise that there must be a reason that Theo was so adverse to him telling the others. He just hoped it was a good reason.

Liam let his hands drop to his sides and just laid there.

“Are we going to stay like this all day or…” Liam mumbled through the fur covering his face. He felt Theo shift subtly, but then settle against him again with a slight sigh.

“Look, we can’t just keep doing this. We have to find a way to talk, or at least a way for you to show me what happened. The best way I can think of doing that is by you taking me to where it happened – maybe I can piece it together.”

Suddenly Theo was off him, and Liam was able to sit up and stare as the wolf ran over to his desk. Theo propped his front paws up on it and snuffled at the mess on top. He jumped, his nose bumping into a pen pot and spilling the contents across the desk.

“Hey!”

But Theo had picked a pen up and was trotting back to Liam. He dropped the pen onto Liam’s lap and took off again, this time to attack Liam’s printer. Liam was dumbfounded as Theo brought him a wad of paper – crumpled, ripped and slightly damp.

Liam looked down at the things in his lap, then back up at Theo. He could sense Theo’s excitement, his tail and ears up, a spark in his eyes. But Liam didn’t know what he wanted.

“You want me to write something?” Theo jumped and barked at him. “What though?”

Theo let out an exasperated puff of air. He stepped forwards and gently picked up the paper from Liam’s lap to step backwards and vigorously shake his head. The pieces scattered around him and he nuzzled and pawed at them until they were all separated from each other. He stood over them, looking down critically. Then he ran over to the printer and grabbed more sheets between his teeth. He repeated his actions, spreading more sheets around the floor, looking at them again before pushing a few away from the others and nuzzling them under Liam’s bed.

Theo looked back at Liam expectantly. Liam just blinked back at him.

“I have less of an idea now than I did earlier. Unless we’re playing the floor is lava.”

Theo huffed.

“Yeah, I thought not,” Liam replied as he watched Theo pace the room. He was shocked to realise that Theo didn’t step on a single piece of paper, even though he was trotting right through them and seemingly not paying them any mind. Liam thought it must be cool to perform a full shift – _although maybe not so much when you couldn’t turn back._

And then Theo was nosing through his stuff, and Liam didn’t know whether to stop him or not, because he really didn’t want to have to tidy up any more things than were already littered across his floor, but Theo obviously had an idea. Before he could make up his mind, Theo was dragging something towards him.

“Dude come on! That’s a school book! Don’t bite it!”

Theo had pulled over Liam’s literature textbook by its front cover. He set it directly in front of Liam and flipped the – now slightly dented – cover back over, staring down at it. Liam read out the words that covered the front page, hoping he could figure it out.

“English Literature, 11th grade.” That was it.

Theo pawed at the book, looking into Liam’s face hopefully. Liam knew he must have looked dumbfounded, because once again Theo was off sweeping around the room. Liam stared at the mess that had been made, trying to piece the clues together. He couldn’t help but think that Mason would have understood by now.

Theo dropped Liam’s lacrosse jersey in from of him, pawing at Liam’s name. Liam looked up at the werewolf and raised an eyebrow.

“You know you’re just bringing me random stuff now.”

Theo’s lip raised to show the slightest hint of teeth, frustration rolling off him. Then he began nuzzling and pawing at Liam's lap.

“What the hell dude?” Liam screeched, springing backwards and trying to push the wolf away from him. But then he saw the pen that Theo had dropped there earlier. He picked it up. “You want this?”

Theo nodded, so Liam pulled off the lid and held the pen out to him. Theo twisted his head so that he could hold the pen and have the nib sticking out of the side of his mouth. He turned around and walked to the closest piece of paper. He lolled down next to it so that it was held down by one paw as he lay with his head cocked over it. He brought his head down, pressing the pen to the paper and moved his head so that the pen scratched across the surface. Then he stood up, looked down at the paper, twisted his head this way and that, only to shuffle his body so that he could lie in a new position and bring his head down to draw on it again. He repeated the process, then dropped the pen, staring at the sheet that now contained a mess of wiggly lines.

He growled, pouncing on the paper and ripping it to shreds with fangs and claws. Once the pieces were too small for him to pull apart anymore he sat with his back to Liam, head drooped.

Liam didn’t know what to do. What did he know was that he hated seeing Theo like this. Again, he blamed it on the fact that Theo was currently like a dog. Liam had always liked dogs. Theo looked like a sad, lonely dog, and Liam’s chest ached.

He set his shoulders in determination. He _was_ going to figure this out. He counted the paper. Twenty-six sheets, if he included the one currently littering his floor like snow. Theo had seemed pretty specific about needing twenty-six pieces. So Liam crawled the short distance to his bed and reached beneath it for the paper Theo had discarded there. He walked over to Theo, stepping around him so that he could place the paper down in front of him.

Theo looked up, those fathomless yellow eyes staring into Liam’s. Slowly his head lifted, and his ears straightened slightly from where they had been drooped to the sides.

He jumped to standing, his tail and head raised high and ears twisted to face forwards, pointed in excitement. He sprang back to Liam’s desk and pushed through all the books and notes and clothes littered across it with his nose. Finally he found what he wanted and wrapped his mouth around it and began tugging.

In shock, Liam saw his entire computer begin to move with Theo’s jerks.

“No Theo, that’s all connected!” he shouted, springing forward to stop everything from crashing down. But whatever it was finally came free and Theo turned to Liam, the keyboard hanging from his jaws, USB cable trailing to the floor. Theo’s tail swished back and forth. Liam realised what he wanted.

Liam turned and dropped to his knees, picking up the discarded pen (ignoring the spit coating it) and pulled a piece of paper towards him. He drew three lines across it, spinning around to Theo and holding it up.

Theo yapped happily at the A written across it.

Liam couldn’t help his joyous laugh at Theo’s enthusiasm. He moved back to the other pieces and wrote out the rest of the alphabet, then moved to grab a few more sheets to create a full stop and space bar. He spread them out again and looked over his shoulder at Theo.

“Lets get typing!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter was waaaay longer than all the others combined. Blame the changing POVs - my muse wants certain parts told from certain perspectives. Next chapter might take a little longer to post - I haven't started typing it up from my handwritten draft yet.
> 
> As usual, thank you from the bottom of my heart for every single kudos, comment, like and reblog. I can't describe how much they mean to me. Any feedback will be rewarded with an essay and/or gif because they make this gal so happy and she can't contain it. Constructive criticism is always welcome!
> 
> (Specific feedback on whether you think the boys are in character would be greatly appreciated, as my inner editor likes to tell me that they're OOC. But that being said, I'm headcannoning people in a full shift not being able to help show and feel more of their emotions because their human rationality is toned down and they're more in touch with their instincts... I'll probably explain more later...)
> 
> Come talk to me on [Tumblr](https://autumnleavessoaring.tumblr.com/), because I'd love to start getting to know some of the fandom!


	5. Confessions – Theo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where a boy and a wolf talk, just about...

It was slow going.

“So let me get this straight,” Liam said, looking down at Theo from where he was sat on his bed. “You were cursed by an angry, evil witch but you don’t think she’s going to curse the rest of Beacon Hills or come after the pack?”

Theo sighed, nodding his head. He’d been trying to explain it all but Liam kept cutting in with questions.

“I didn’t even know witches were a thing.”

_That’s because you leave all the thinking to your best friend. Why is it that werewolves always bite the dumb ones?_ Theo snarked – in his head of course, but he was pretty sure Liam could tell that he was being sassed, if the scowl crossing his face was anything to go by.

“So how do we break it then, Mr fountain-of-all-supernatural-knowledge?”

Theo cocked his head. Liam sighed.

“You’ve been cursed to stay like a wolf right? So how do we break the curse? There’s always a way to break the curse…” he looked at Theo expectantly, then motioned to their makeshift keyboard. “Well go on then.”

Theo looked down at the letters. He shifted on his feet uncertainly. He didn’t want to tell Liam. He could lie. But then he’d be stuck like this, trying to break the curse on his own. _But how could Liam help? How could anyone help? He didn’t know how to-_ Theo cut that thought off.

“Theo, whatever it is, I’ll help you,” Liam said, breaking through Theo’s thoughts. The boy was staring at him, his eyes filled with something that Theo couldn’t quite determine. But it reminded him of something. _I’m not dying for you either… But I will fight with you._

Theo took a breath before stepping forward. _When did his life become a Disney movie?_ He tapped the F and looked up to see Liam scrambling for the pen and piece of paper he’d been writing Theo’s parts of the conversation on – they’d learned early on that Liam couldn’t quite remember one word to the next.

“F,” Liam whispered, scrawling it down.

IND TRUE LOVE

Liam looked up expectantly, so Theo slowly padded over to the full stop, tentatively placing his paw on it. He averted his gaze, unwilling to watch Liam's reaction.

His head snapped up when Liam began laughing.

“Ok, c’mon, what is it really?” he choked out once he’d calmed down. He looked at Theo, and froze.

“You’re being serious,” Liam stated. Theo couldn’t move.

“Shit, I’m sorry! I thought – I didn’t realise – I didn’t mean – Oh god! No, we can do that! I mean, people fall in love all the time! And you… you’re… not evil… anymore? And you have a car! Girls like guys with cars! And you’ve been very helpful… recently. And I guess you’re attractive… if you’re into that sort of thing. Mason thought you were fit. Before the whole trying to murder everyone… and him… thing. But you don’t murder anymore! So that’s good.”

Theo just stared at him.

“Why am I still talking? I think it’s because you’re not talking. I mean, you can’t. Because you’re a wolf. Who needs to find true love. Does this mean your true love is a wolf? Because that would make things simpler. Oh man… I’ve just Stiles-ed… with the whole not shutting up… and… digging a… hole… and shit.”

Theo’s lips were parting in a snarl. He span around and ran out of the room, into the hallway and down the stairs. He didn’t need this shit right now, knew he shouldn’t have told Liam. Now he was going to tell the others and they’d be there, laughing too, watching as he could never change back, telling each other that he couldn’t love, couldn’t _be_ loved, that he deserved it. They’d leave him to rot in this new hell.

He could hear Liam charging after him, shouting his name, but he was almost at the door. And if that was locked he’d just smash through a window. He needed to get out of this damn house that was pressing in on him like the invisible chains that were constricting his body.

Theo was so focussed on fleeing that he almost collided into the woman who opened the front door. Theo froze. The woman froze. Liam sprinted around the corner.

“Theo!” he shouted, and then, “Mom!”

This shocked the woman out of her stupor. She flung the multiple shopping bags she was carrying at Theo, who barely managed to jump out of the way.

Liam’s mom ran past him, grabbing a lamp on the way and holding it in front of her as she moved to stand between Theo and Liam.

“Get back, get back!” she shrieked, whipping the lamp back and forth menacingly at Theo.

Theo looked towards the door that she had left open; his way to freedom.

“Mom, stop. Give me the lamp!” He heard the two people struggling to his side as Liam tried to pull the lamp from his mother’s grip.

“There’s a wolf in the house Liam!”

“No… well yes… but he’s fine.”

“A wolf in the hallway cannot be defined as fine!” she whispered, eyeing Theo up as she tried to push Liam back, lamp still thrust towards him, despite Liam’s best efforts to take it from her. “We’re going to back away and you’re going to call 911, while I make sure it stays away.”

“The wolf is not going to attack us. He’s… a friendly wolf.”

“Are you telling me you brought this wolf into our house?”

“Well yes-“

“Liam!”

“-but he’s not a real wolf! He’s, erm… one of those hybrid, wolf-dog, mongrel, things.”

Theo bared his teeth at the comment.

“Who is _very friendly_ and well trained and _will not tear us to shreds_.” Liam continued, eyes begging Theo to behave.

Theo turned away from Liam and his mother and began walking to the door again. He _really_ didn’t need this. Liam shouldn’t have brought him there in the first place.

“Theo wait,” Liam pleaded – in such a way that Theo couldn’t help but pause and look back over his shoulder.

“I need to help him ok,” Liam continued, looking straight into Theo’s eyes. “Something really bad happened to him. I said he could stay here for a while – until he’s fixed up.”

“That doesn’t make any sense Liam,” the woman said. She’d calmed down somewhat, but was still shielding Liam from Theo with her body. Theo glanced at the hand she’d splayed on Liam’s stomach as she tried to protect him.

“He was at the vets, but couldn’t stay there anymore… he needed more space… and the other animals were getting scared by him. So I told Scott I’d take him in, look after him until he’s better, _help_ him get better,” Liam said, still staring at Theo earnestly. He paused. “He’s my responsibility.”

“But how is he your responsibility Liam?” Liam’s mom asked. Theo agreed. “Why isn’t he with his owner?” Theo bit back a growl.

“He’s a stray… doesn’t have a pac- a chip. And it’s partly my fault he’s here. I …” Theo could see the cogs turning in Liam’s head. “I scared him onto the road… he got hit by a car and I found him… brought him back– to the vets, I mean. So he’s my responsibility.”

Theo knew that Liam’s words were laden with more meaning than the lie. That beneath the tale he was spinning for his mother, Liam was talking to Theo. And Theo felt the pull to stay in this house, with its food, its warmth, its people. With Liam. He felt that pull just as much as he felt the pull to run, to escape, to tear something apart, to take control; to be beholden to nothing and no-one. He’d been stretched between both since Liam struck the sword into the ground and tore him from hell.

“I need to help him mom.”

And Theo closed his eyes, because he knew what he was going to do. It was the same option he’d chosen time and again, even though he didn’t know why.

“Oh Liam,” he heard, breaking him from his thoughts. He opened his eyes to see that Liam’s mom had turned her back to him to close Liam in her arms. “You should have said.”

“I know... It’s just difficult.”

“But we all make mistakes, and do things we feel bad about. And then we try to make up for them. Which you always do baby.” She held Liam for a moment longer. “Now for another mistake,” she pulled back, holding Liam at arm’s length. Theo could hear the frown on her face. “Why the hell did you not ask me before bringing a wolf-dog into the house?”

“Because I didn’t think you’d mind?” Liam tried, with a sheepish smile.

“Oh really?”

“Because I knew you would mind…”

Theo sighed. It was painful to watch Liam digging one hole after another.

He walked up to the pair and sat at the woman’s side. He slowly moved to gently nudge his head against her leg, and stared up at her with large eyes.

“Oh,” she cried, startled. But when she looked down at him she let out a little croon. _This family was too easy._ She slowly brought her hand down to place it on top of his head, gently smoothing over his fur, before curling her fingers to run her nails across him in a gentle scratch.

It felt so _good_. Theo’s eyes closed. He pressed his head up into her hand and relaxed further against her body.

“You didn’t talk to me first because you knew I’d say no.” Theo’s eyes shot open and he pulled back from her hand. Before he could move away, she crouched down and continued. “But you knew I’d not be able to say no to this face.” And with that she caught Theo’s head between her hands, much like Liam had earlier, but was pressing and rubbing them against him, his skin rolling and shifting at her movements. Theo didn’t know whether to pull away or stay.

“Now what am I supposed to call this wolf-dog?”

“Theo.”

“Don’t you have a friend called Theo?”

Theo’s eyes widened in shock. _She knew about him?_ Liam scratched the back of his head uncomfortably.

“Erm, yeah. He kinda reminded us of him, so we started calling him Theo…dore. Theodore.”

“Well if you’re going to shorten that I think I have a much better name for him! He looks more like a Teddy! Look at him, the big cuddly bear!”

Liam full-on snorted, and then began cackling at the withering look on Theo’s face.

“I think he likes it mom!” Liam exclaimed.

Theo had a hard time swallowing a snarl as Liam’s mom continued to pet and croon at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much love to all who have commented, kudos-ed, etc. You make this chica very happy!!!
> 
> I honestly don't know how anyone would react to finding a wolf in their house, but it's probably not like this... XD
> 
> Sorry for taking a while to get this chapter out. I'm not gonna lie, I'll probably continue to take longer to post than I did at the start. Real life keeps getting in the way *sigh* _(who needs a job? I can surely live off fandom feels and kudoses! Right? Right?) ___
> 
> __Constructive criticism is always welcome! If you wanna chat, come say hi on[Tumblr](https://autumnleavessoaring.tumblr.com/)! (Warning, I respond with essays! Gushing and flailing essays!)_ _


	6. Wills - Liam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is miscommunication and a battle of wills.
> 
> (Liam's POV)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to the wonderful Ruxian, my animal behaviour guru. Thank you for all your help, cheerleading and ideas. You really have improved this fic and made writing even more enjoyable!
> 
> If anyone would like to read a wonderfully heart-wrenching nightmare Thiam fic (with a twist), that is just the most beautiful and painful character study of Theo, please check out Rux's [I Brought the Rain and Broke Your Umbrella](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13209003/chapters/30215061)

Liam didn’t look at his phone before answering it, too focussed on watching his mom fuss Theo, who seemed to be enjoying the petting. Liam’s fingers twitched at the thought of burying his own hands in the soft black fur. _Would Theo stretch his neck like that for him?_

“Liam?” said the voice on the other end of the line, reminding him that he hadn’t even said hello.

“Oh, hi!” Liam said, quickly pulling the phone away from his face to look at the caller id. His eyes widened at the name and he hurried into the kitchen.

“Sorry Mr Stilinski, Sheriff… sir,” Liam mumbled, trying to keep his voice down and move as far away from his mother, as surreptitiously as possible.

The Sheriff sighed. “You want to tell me what happened earlier? And why you’re whispering.”

“I don’t really want my mom to find out that you have my phone number. She’ll jump to conclusions and go to the sheriff’s station and-“

“Yeah yeah, I get the picture. You considered actually telling her about… everything?”

“With all that’s happened with Scott’s mom and Mason and you, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

They both fell silent at this. Finally, another sigh came down the phone.

“I see your point kid. Doesn’t mean that I agree with it. Now, what happened today at school?”

“Oh, that. That was nothing.”

“Nothing? There’s a call out that there’s a dangerous wild animal in a standoff at the school with two kids and the lacrosse coach, and that’s nothing?”

“Well-”

“And then when my deputies get there, they’re missing said dangerous animal and one kid-”

“But-”

“Only for Coach to give a statement saying that _you_ picked up an unconscious wolf and ran off into the woods with it! And now I’m going to have to bury this whole incident. Do you know how difficult that is? One of these days I won’t be able to hide it, and then this whole house of cards is gonna come crashing down on my head!” The Sheriff took a deep breath. “But ignoring that for now, what’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Liam replied. He bit his lip when he realised it had come out as more of a question.

“Nothing?”

“Sometimes a wolf’s just a wolf Sheriff… sir.”

“The days when I believed that are long gone.” The Sheriff sighed again. “Now what did you do with the wolf?”

“I, er, took it back to the woods.”

“You just took it back to the woods? A dangerous animal that attacked children?”

“He was hurt! And he didn’t attack anyone – he just growled a bit. And passed out. He wouldn’t have hurt anyone.” Liam was thankful that Stiles’ dad wasn’t a werewolf as he didn’t quite know if this was a lie or not.

“It’s a wolf Liam, it could have killed someone!”

“No, he wouldn’t. I know him! Y’know, from… running… in the woods.”

“How do you guys still surprise me? You’re friends with a wolf, a real life wolf-wolf. No shapeshifting, venomous, magical legend?”

“Just a wolf. No supernatural threat. I promise.” Liam felt a twinge of guilt at the lie, but it felt like the best option right then.

“You know I’m going to have to call animal control right?”

“What?” Liam squarked.

“We can’t have animals running into town and threatening children at school, especially wolves. Someone will get hurt.”

“No, he-”

“A wolf isn’t a person Liam, you can’t reason with them. But I can get someone in to move it to a reserve, away from people.”

Liam panicked. “He’s dead!”

“What?”

“He’d been hurt.”

“Oh... Do you know what…?”

“A car. I think.”

“Well Liam… I’m er, sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you?” again, it sounded like a question.

“Do you need-“ the Sheriff began, but Liam cut him off before the tale could get more tangled.

“Don’t worry about it, Sheriff. Like you said, it was just an animal.” _Why did that make his gut twist more than his earlier lies?_

There was another pause.

“Ok.” The Sheriff said, and Liam held back a sigh of relief. “Hey, you didn’t have anything to do with the fire did you?”

“What fire?”

“Don’t worry about it – just thought I’d check.” There was the sound of muffled movement through the phone, and Liam could almost see the Sheriff rubbing a hand over his face. “It’s been a long day, so I’m going to go home and crash. Talk to someone if you need to Liam. I don’t get all this werewolf stuff, but when someone dies it can be hard, no matter who it is or how you knew them.”

“Yeah, I will.”

“And, erm, please try not to bring any more dangerous creatures – animal or supernatural – to the school, ok? Or at least call me next time.”

“Sure Sheriff, sorry for the trouble.”

“It’s fine kid. Guess I just hoped all this would quieten down with the boys gone. But Beacon Hills is still Beacon Hills, and now I have the puppy pack to look after.”

“Hey!”

“Good evening Liam.” Liam could hear the smile in his voice. With that the Sheriff was gone, leaving Liam spluttering. He heard a wheeze behind him, and turned to see Theo standing there with a huge grin on his face. _Yep, wolf-Theo could definitely snicker._

“Shut up!” he said, stomping past the wolf. He stalked into the living room and threw himself on the couch. He’d just lied to someone who he should categorically _not_ lie to, he had a million different stories that he needed to keep straight in his head, and there was the possibility of another dangerous situation (no matter what Theo insisted) that he’d have to deal with on his own. All of this was because of Theo bloody Raeken, whose help so far consisted of making a mess, ripping his shirt and laughing at him.

Theo followed him in and hopped up into a chair across the room from Liam’s splayed body. Liam grabbed a cushion and threw it at him.

“No dogs on the furniture!” he said, barely managing to hide his smirk as the cushion hit its mark straight in the face.

Theo froze, looking shocked and then affronted.

The wolf jumped down and sprinted at Liam. He wrapped his jaws around Liam’s jeans and tugged him to the floor with a thump. Liam rolled onto his front to push himself up, but before he could right himself, Theo was sat on the middle of his back, forcing him into the carpet.

The wolf let out a triumphant yip. Liam wanted to feel disgruntled, he really did, but all he could do was lay there and fight a grin.

“Liam!”

He twisted his head sharply to see his mom stood in the doorway, hands on her hips, a stern look on her face. Her lip twitched and Liam knew that she was trying to contain a laugh.

“It’s Theo’s fault!” Liam laughed.

“But Theo won’t be paying for any broken furniture will he?” she replied, finally releasing her smile. “I’m serious Liam, keep him under control. No breaking anything!” And with that she walked out of the room towards the kitchen.

Theo chuffed on top of Liam.

“Oh, you think that’s funny?” Liam span onto his back as fast as he could, causing Theo to lose his balance and fall directly on top of him. Theo wriggled in an effort to right himself, but Liam wrapped his arms and legs around the wolf, sitting up and pulling him to his chest. He laughed as Theo huffed, his wriggling increasing.

“Nope, not letting go. This is me showing you who’s boss!” he laughed, squeezing the wolf slightly as Theo mouthed and kicked at the limbs wrapped around him, hard enough that Liam could feel the teeth and nails catching on his skin, soft enough not to break it.

“I’m the alpha!” he cried, starting to tickle the wolf. Theo yipped and whined and writhed as Liam continued to rag him. They both knew Theo could get away with a quick-to-heal bite, but he didn’t escalate the play, only nipping slightly harder with his teeth in retaliation.

“Yield?” Liam asked, but Theo only growled slightly and dug a paw into Liam’s stomach. So Liam rolled onto his side, covering Theo’s wriggling body with more of himself. “Yield and I’ll let you go!” he laughed, moving his hand to a more comfortable position on Theo’s chest, his arm curling around Theo’s neck and making it more difficult for the wolf to move as the rest of Liam’s body covered him.

Theo froze.

Liam froze.

He moved his head slightly and looked down at Theo. The wolf’s eyes were wide, white’s showing.

And Liam realised in horror what he’d done.

He let go quickly, scrambling back to give Theo space and held his hands up in supplication.

“Shit, I’m sorry – I didn’t think. I didn’t mean it Theo,” he murmured, voice low, trying to calm the wolf. Liam knelt on the floor, tried to make his body small, listening to what his instincts told him to do to dissolve the situation. He still struggled with it – the warring parts of wolf and human that couldn’t seem to agree on how to act. But he was pretty sure he’d stepped way beyond innocent play.

“Theo?”

Theo had stood up, although he held his body in a slight crouch. He no longer looked terrified, but his ears were still flattened to his skull, his tail curled low, his muzzle twitching with what could be the beginning of a snarl. Both boys stared at each other.

“You know I’d never make you do that right?” _I’d never make you submit._

Because Liam was part of an unconventional pack, with a true alpha and so many more members than just werewolves. Scott wouldn’t throw his will on them and they didn’t have, _or want_ , a structure. But that didn’t mean that it wasn’t in their blood: the need to know their place, to have a hierarchy, to hold a position that was fought for and earned. Not all packs worked like that, but it was still there, underneath the surface, and Liam had let the human take over and blundered straight into a challenge. A challenge that Theo _literally_ couldn’t say no to.

Theo stepped towards Liam, the movement jolting Liam from his frenzied thoughts. He eyed the wolf warily. He didn’t know how he was supposed to act, didn’t know what Theo was going to do.

Theo continued to move forwards, and he was now within touching distance, but Liam forced himself not to move. He couldn’t tell whether his body wanted to reach out to the wolf or move away from him.

He was not expecting Theo to move even closer, still holding his body down in a couch, tilting his head around Liam’s face. Liam stayed still, uncertainty leaving him immobile. He could _feel-hear-sense_ Theo’s muzzle coming closer to the join between his neck and jaw, his pulse picking up as the air over his artery was disturbed. He braced himself for something: a lick against his neck, a brush of fur, a bone crushing bite. But Theo seemed to change his mind at the last second, turning his head to nudge his nose against Liam’s shoulder. He took another step, gently brushing his face past Liam’s shoulder, and held himself still.

Liam tentatively raised his hand to touch the wolf’s back, just behind his shoulder blades, at which Theo finally stepped back, his body relaxing from the slight crouch. He looked into Liam's eyes.

“Forgiven?” Liam breathed. He really needed to know. Theo didn't react for a moment and Liam’s chest constricted, but then the wolf dipped his head into a nod. Liam could finally listen to what his instincts were telling him, that could sense that Theo’s body was no longer held taught, the _fear-fight-flight-challenge_ gone. Theo’s tail wagged once, twice and he turned and leapt onto the couch. He walked in a circle, before throwing his body onto it and rolling onto his back. He looked at Liam, his pink tongue lolling out of his mouth and his paws held relaxed in the air. Liam couldn’t help his tentative smile.

“That’s my spot Raeken.”

Theo wriggled further into the soft cushions before rolling back onto his front and pushing himself along the couch, twisting his head one way and then the other to drag his cheeks over the material. Liam’s eyes widened as he realised what Theo was doing.

“You’re marking my spot!” Theo rolled back over and stretched his head back giving another wriggle.

“Well someone’s certainly settled in,” came a voice from the doorway. Liam turned to see his dad leaning against the frame, his arms crossed loosely. Theo’s head popped up from the couch to stare at the man.

Liam’s dad calmly walked around the couch to stand in front of Theo, who moved back onto his front cautiously. The man slowly crouched down and gently raised his arm to hold his hand towards Theo’s face. Theo had been contemplating him through big eyes, but he shifted his attention to the hand raised a respectful distance from his nose.

After a pause, he shuffled forwards, sniffing slightly at the tips of the man’s fingers, before nudging them upwards with his snout.

Liam had been worriedly watching the whole exchange. It was like Theo was learning how to behave around people. He knew how to be a wolf, obviously – he moved in the form like the second skin it was. But it was clear that Theo was still trying to figure out how to act and react. And Liam felt like, perhaps, the boy had been doing that for a while now. That he’d been trying to figure out and fit into a world he had been dragged from hell into.

Liam was pulled from his thoughts by his father’s voice.

“Hey there big boy,” he said, moving his hand to slowly, but firmly, stroke Theo’s head. Theo’s eyes closed.

Dr Geyer turned to look over his shoulder at Liam, never ceasing his stroking. “When your mom said we’d temporarily adopted a dog, I didn’t think she meant a wild animal,” he grinned.

Liam rolled his eyes. “I like to live dangerously.”

The man chuckled and looked back to Theo who had cocked his head to the side, giving more room for Liam’s dad to scratch behind his jaw. “No! This guy’s a teddy-bear.”

Liam snorted as Theo pulled back, an outraged look on his face. “I don’t think he liked that,” Liam chortled.

“Now I didn’t say that he couldn’t rip me in half if he wanted to,” his dad clarified, moving to stand up, “just that he won’t.”

“What makes you so sure?” Liam asked, half joking and half… not.

“You forget I grew up with dogs, kiddo. You get a sense for them. And Theo here,” he turned an assessing eye on Theo, “he’s strong, fierce and, yes, dangerous. But protective. He’ll push you around, but it’s all bluster. Show him you deserve it, and you’ll have his loyalty.” Dr Geyer cocked his head, staring at Theo who was staring right back. Liam couldn’t decipher either of their expressions. “But you weren’t always like that, were you bud?” Liam’s dad said quietly.

Theo looked away from the man sharply. His tail twitched.

“You learnt all that, just from looking at him?” Liam joked, desperately trying to break the tension.

His dad chuckled, shaking his head. “Your mom sent me photos,” he said, pulling out his phone and showing it to Liam. The lock screen was now an image of Liam laid on the floor, a huge grin on his face as a very smug looking wolf sat on his back. Liam couldn’t help but smile – he hadn’t even realised his mom had taken the picture. His dad opened the phone with a press of his thumb, and suddenly an awful selfie of Liam’s mom popped up on the screen. Her grinning face was pressed up against Theo’s, with the caption _‘We have a new son!’_ beneath it. The framing was terrible, with barely any of their faces actually in the photo, but his mom was beaming and Theo, whilst looking slightly put-out, wasn’t pulling away from her. It looked… adorable.

“Now I’m afraid Teddy over here is going to have to get off the couch,” Liam’s dad said, seemingly out of nowhere. Liam looked away from the phone to see him staring down at his palm, which was now a dusty grey colour. Liam opened his mouth, instinctually wanting to argue, but his dad continued before he could say anything. “He’s absolutely filthy, so no more rubbing on the furniture until he’s had a good wash. What name does he respond to best?”

Liam shrugged, thrown by the question. “He knows when you’re talking to him.”

His dad turned back to the wolf. “Ted,” he said, his voice authoritative, but not loud or angry. Theo’s ears twitched. “Down.” He pointed to the floor.

Theo didn’t move, and neither did the man. Liam was left looking between them, cringing at the battle of wills. He knew Theo wouldn’t back down, and he knew that it would jeopardise him staying there.

Liam suddenly realised how much he didn’t want Theo to go. He opened his mouth-

The wolf rose slowly and hopped off the couch. He walked past Dr Geyer, who leant down to give him a pat on the shoulder. Theo’s tail swung to brush against the man’s leg as he continued walking out of the room and Liam let out a sigh of relief. Relief that Theo had given in, and that his dad hadn’t thrown praise at him for it.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe his dad understood Theo more than he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In conclusion, Dr Geyer may be slightly telepathic and Liam's mom is adorable. (Just kidding! - About the telepathic thing at least!) Now I need to come up with names for them. Any suggestions? Can't promise I'll use them but I could do with some inspiration!
> 
> To everyone who has kudosed and commented - you guys are literally the best! (Especially the peeps leaving essays - you have given me so much to ponder and have sparked off so many ideas! This fic may never end!) To those of you who wanted more Mrs Geyer, she'll be appearing more in chapters down the line, honestly!
> 
> As usual, I would love you to come say hi on [Tumblr](https://autumnleavessoaring.tumblr.com/)! I've started posting a picture of wolf-Theo for each chapter there because I'm just finding the cutest inspiration online and must share it with the world!


	7. Worst Plan Ever - Theo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo avoids the difficult questions and realises there's more to this family than he first thought.
> 
> (Theo's POV)

Theo made his way into Liam’s bedroom. There was a tightness in his chest that had nothing to do with the curse constricting his body. Liam’s father’s words echoed in his head.

He moved around the room restlessly, pushing his attention away from his thoughts. He searched for something else that could distract him, anything that could quieten his own voice that was slowly driving him mad. He let his instincts take over, let his senses consume him, opened his consciousness to what his body was telling him.

The whole room smelt of Liam, but within the blanket of the boy’s scent, Theo could pick out other notes. There was a certain spot at the foot of the bed that held Mason’s smell, as if he spent hours leaning against it, again and again, enough times that he’d marked the place as his. It smelt of laughter and excitement, Liam’s scent mimicking it strongly in a spot right beside it. It seemed strange, and Theo realised that he was more used to the tang of fear and anger clouding their scents. Theo almost brushed his body against the marks at the foot of the bed, but caught himself before he actually did it. He continued his exploration of the room.

The fresher scent of Liam’s mother was also held in certain places; a folded stack of clothes on top of a set of drawers, the curtains covering the window, and a spot by Liam’s overcrowded desk, as if she often lingered there. Theo hopped up onto his hind legs to lean on the desk and look at the objects scattered across it. He ignored the games controller, its scent screaming out “property of Mason”, and sniffed at the other objects, trying to find the woman’s smell in the kaleidoscope of information bombarding his nose.

There. Right in front of him, pushed up against the wall, was a framed photo. A young Liam was screaming with laughter, sat on top of his father’s shoulders, his mom stood next to them, holding an ice lolly high in the air and just out of reach of Liam’s grabbing hands. Both adults were beaming at the child. There was a smaller photo tucked into the corner of the frame, of Mason with his arms wrapped around Liam’s shoulders, both pulling faces at the camera.

Theo stood there, staring at Liam’s family. It felt like maybe he had things like this once. Photos and smiles and arms around him.

Eventually he hopped down from the desk to continue his exploration of the room, following his nose. He avoided the basket in the corner, the strong scent of sweat and musk pushing at his nose, instead moving to put his head beneath the bed. He inhaled, dust scratching at his nose enough that he had to pull his head out, shaking it in irritation. But he could smell something down there. Something that he wanted to find. So he laid down and stuck his head in again. He pawed a lacrosse stick out of the way and wriggled further beneath the bed, barely enough room to fit his flattened body in the tight space.

There was a small shoebox pushed into the middle of the space. He nosed the lid off slightly, but the scent that came out had him reeling back. Hayden. He moved his paw to slam the lid down, which forced another poof of her smell into his face. He grimaced.

Theo didn’t know whether to feel disdain or pity for Liam. The girl had been gone for months, and here Liam was with a box of memories beneath his bed. _Perhaps that’s true love_. His throat clenched and he grabbed a forgotten hoodie from his side, tugging it over the box as if that could help him forget the thought.

He began to wriggle out from under the bed, which turned out to be much more difficult than getting into the space. Theo imagined what Liam’s reaction would be to find him like this and jerked his body harder to shuffle across the floor faster. But something in the dark caught his attention, an object that had been hidden by the hoodie. Theo dragged himself closer to it. It was the thing he could faintly smell earlier.

He nosed it cautiously, breathing in the scents and piecing together what he could of its story. The thing itself smelt old, and clinging to it were the familiar scents of Liam’s mother and father, all overlaid with a smell that was so recognisable, and yet so strange. It was Liam, but a younger Liam, one without the undertones of wolf that Theo had always known. Theo breathed deep, analysing the scent further. A Liam without the hormones of his age, without the hint of anger that haunted his scent. This was a cleaner scent than Theo knew, even though the thing he was smelling was dirty with age and use and neglect.

Theo gently pawed it around, sniffing at the slight changes of smell. Sweet cherry from what he guessed was a dropped candy smushed into it here, a lingering smell of grass and mud there. And then, the faintest hint of a stranger’s smell. Someone whose scent was like Liam’s, but not.

Theo gripped the soft object gently between his jaws and pulled himself out from under the bed. He placed it carefully on the floor and considered it in the light.

It was a teddy-bear. Its soft, honey coloured fur was matted with age, some of it sticking up in tufts, where in other places it was almost bald, or had something matted in the hairs. Its dusty eyes looked back at Theo.

“What’cha got there?”

Theo jumped at the voice.

Liam’s dad walked into the room and Theo stepped away from the toy, looking away guiltily. The man picked up the bear with care, a soft smile on his lips.

“Ah, Mr Teddy,” he breathed. “You know, Liam used to play with this all the time. Couldn’t sleep without it.” The man was staring at the toy, lost in thought. Theo listened closely.

“His dad bought it for him, oh it must have been about a year before he left, and it was Liam’s favourite toy. Then he was gone, and Liam hid it, pretended he didn’t like it anymore. But every night he’d take it out and fall asleep with it, and every morning he’d hide it away again. I thought it was strange, so I asked him about it – he started bawling when he realised we knew. He said he knew that his dad had hurt his mom, that he didn’t want her to see him playing with Mr Teddy and get upset. Well that just set us all off. Poor kid hated _and missed_ his dad. And he loved his little toy and his mom so much that he went through this farce everyday for months. Even when we said it was fine to love Mr Teddy, he still wouldn’t get him out in front of his mom.” Dr Geyer smiled sadly. “Liam’s always been clueless when it comes to love, but he’ll do anything for it.”  
The man looked up at Theo.

“And now we three musketeers have become four, little d'Artagnan. You’re very lucky to have found him,” he said, with a pat to Theo’s head. He pulled his hand back. “And I really wasn’t joking about that bath, how are you worse than earlier?”

  
***

  
Theo was still sat in Liam’s room, even though Liam’s dad had left some time ago. His thoughts chased around his head, moving from one unwelcome topic to another. He didn’t know how Malia had done it for all those years, but he thought he understood her strangeness more now. He could feel his thought shifting into something else… something a little less human. He tried to push this notion away, like he had so many others, finally deciding that he needed a distraction. He needed a _conversation_.

He followed his nose and ears downstairs to the kitchen, where Liam and his mom were talking. Liam quickly shut up when he realised Theo was standing in the doorway. Theo stood there but Liam stayed quiet, looking away awkwardly as his mom moved around him, stirring the pans on the hob.

Theo berated himself for not paying attention. _What had they been talking about? Why didn’t Liam want him to hear?_

And there he was, _thinking_ again. So Theo walked up to Liam, making sure to get the boy’s attention before he circled around behind him and gave him a nudge to the back of the knee with his snout. Theo walked back to the doorway and looked over his shoulder at Liam, waiting for the boy to follow. Liam just looked perplexed.

“I think you’re being summoned,” Liam’s mom said with a laugh, and Theo really wondered where Liam got his lack of brains from.

“Oh,” Liam took a step forward, so Theo turned back to the hallway and made his way up the stairs, listening to Liam’s movements to make sure he was following. He continued up to Liam’s room and walked over to the letters still scattered on the floor, sitting down behind them so he could watch Liam come in. Liam shut the door behind him and looked expectantly at Theo, so he raised his paw in an exaggerated arc and planted it down on one of the sheets.

“N,” Liam said. “A. M. E. S.”

Theo looked at him, waiting for Liam to figure it out. The boy whispered the word under his breath.

“Oh, you want to know my parent’s names! Alicia and David Geyer.”

Theo nodded. At least he’d have something to call them in his head now.

NICE, he marked.

“You like their names?” Liam asked. Theo rolled his eyes. “Oh, you mean they’re nice. I guess so. When they’re not going out of their way to embarrass me, y’know.” Liam shrugged.

Theo thought he knew, in an abstract sense anyway, so he gave a slight nod. Both boys stood in silence.

“So I was thinking,” Liam finally said, “there’s nothing we can do tonight about your furry problem, and I have school tomorrow, but I think on Saturday we should try to find the witch.”

Theo’s head pulled back in shock.

“Maybe she’ll change you back. Hold on, was it a she? I would’ve thought you’d say wizard if it was a guy, but that sounds more Harry Potter, and less The Witch in terms of evilness…”

Theo was shaking his head adamantly.

“Ok so we go and get this guy witch to turn you back into regular angry-boy Theo.”

Theo shook his head again with a growl.

“So it’s a lady witch?”

Theo glared at Liam, but nodded his head. Then he spelt out: WORST PLAN EVER.

“Look, she’s just trying to teach you some twisted sort of lesson. If she really wanted to punish you she’d have sent you back to hell or something. She’s making a point. My parents do this sort of thing all the time.” He pulled a face. “Scott does too.”

Had this been any other time, Theo would have jumped on the opportunity to take a dig at the puppy’s relationship with Scott. As it was, Theo just stared at him incredulously.

HOW. The lack of punctuation available grated on Theo’s nerves.

“You take me to where you found her. We track her down and I get her to turn you back,” Liam said, like it would be the simplest thing in the world.

Theo gave Liam another incredulous look. YOU. TALK.

“Sure, or I force her to change you back. You apologise, everything’s good.”

SHE CHANGE YOU. Theo stomped his foot down on the full stop pointedly.

“Ok, so I’ll ask politely. Explain how you’re still working on your evil issues and that you’re very sorry. I’ll promise that you’ll apologise for whatever you did once you’re back to normal, and that we’ll keep you on a tighter leash.” Liam sniggered at his own joke.

WORST PLAN EVER.

“Fine, we’ll move onto plan B then!”

PLAN B. Theo cocked his head to the side, hoping Liam would read the question in his body.

“We go to Deaton.”

Theo bit back a whine. He couldn’t stand the thought of anyone else finding out.

NO.

“Then it’s plan C: we find your true love.”

Theo wrinkled his snout. _He was going to be stuck like this forever._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't apologise enough for the long wait for this chapter. My excuses boil down to bad timing coupled with writing frustration: I've had a crazy stressful time at work over the past few weeks and for some reason I was finding this chapter quite difficult anyway. I still don't think it's how I'd like it to be, but I knew I'd feel better if I just got it out there and moved on. I'm enjoying Chapter 8 much more, although I can't promise a quick update as other things are still draining my energy at the moment :(
> 
> Everyone who has commented - you're messages give me so much happiness, and I love chatting all things Heartlines/Thiam with you. If you wanna talk more, come say hi on [Tumblr](https://autumnleavessoaring.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> manonlemelon, thank you for the name suggestion of Alicia! I pictured Dr G calling Liam's mum Alice or Ali and thought it would be adorable, so Alicia it was! Thank you to everyone else who gave suggestions, they were all awesome and it was very difficult to decide!
> 
> Now for a general warning: this story has been full of fluffy goodness so far, but angst is on the horizon. I just wanted to give you all plenty of warning, seen as a lot of comments have been squeeing at the cuteness and I'm imagining you all at my door with pitchforks when things turn a little darker. 
> 
> Thank you for sticking with me and my little story, even though my chapters are short, I take forever to write and I prattle on like nobody's business! Much love ~ Lauren


	8. This Strange Familiar Feeling - Liam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo is restless and Liam is annoyed. Until they're not...
> 
> Liam's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to two wonderful people: [Rux](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ruxian/pseuds/ruxian), you are my muse, thanks for all your inspiration, cheerleading and knowledge, so many parts of this story wouldn't be here without you. And to [LovelyLittleGrim](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LovelyLittleGrim/pseuds/LovelyLittleGrim), thank you for letting me steal part of [Vacancy Signs](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12741393/chapters/29058246), you're awesome and I hope you like what I did with it!

Liam lay on his bed, head barely propped up enough to see the TV across his room as he jammed his thumbs into the buttons of his controller, the little quakes in the device tickling his hands as his character was shot repeatedly by his opponent. The screen faded to black when his health bar ran out and he sighed, dropping the controller to his side. A movement in his peripheral vision had him glancing towards the door. It was Theo. Again.

The wolf loped into the room, head held low as he moved smoothly across the floor, not quite running and not quite walking either. He kept to the edge of the space, taking a full circuit of the perimeter, following the edge of Liam’s bed like some sort of Pacman, his left side glued to the wall and the edge of the objects in his path. Liam watched as Theo moved around his bed, his eyes following the wolf as he continued along the wall and out if the room once again.

He’d lost count of how many times Theo had done this. He waited, staring out of the door into the hallway, and sure enough, a short while later, Theo was prowling past in the opposite direction he had come in.

Liam was pretty sure he was doing this around the whole house. He was also confident that he’d been doing this since Liam had kicked him out of his room three hours ago, when the pacing up and down in his bedroom had finally driven him insane. Homework was difficult enough to concentrate on without Theo’s continuous back and forth. He’d pushed Theo out of the room and closed the door behind him, but of course his mom had opened it a couple of hours later to say goodnight and Theo had been back in, adding the room to his endless loop of the house.

Liam grit his teeth.

Things had been going fine. He’d sat down for a meal with his mom and dad, laughing at his dad’s face when his mom presented Theo with the remaining beef from the fridge.

They began eating, but Theo just stared at them until his dad had sighed and nudged the plate closer to the wolf with a “go on then.” Theo had very literally wolfed down the food, which was apparently much easier to do when it was cut into chunks. He’d then gone into the living room and laid down, whilst Liam and his family finished their meal.

It was after all the food had gone and they had all left to do their own thing that the pacing had started.

Liam couldn’t understand it. He’d heard his parents let Theo into the garden more than once throughout the evening. Theo wasn’t even a real dog, surely he could come up with something else to occupy himself that wasn’t so annoying.  _ He could… he could… he could do something that would let Liam sleep.  _

Liam could just about pick out Theo’s soft tread downstairs, his claws creating a soft tap against the kitchen tiles. It made Liam restless, the tension from the wolf seeping into him, each soft sound striking Liam’s nerves and setting him on edge.

He sat up, walking as quietly as he could out of his room and down the landing. He tiptoed down the stairs, moving from hugging himself close to the banister, to leaning against the wall to avoid the creak on the fifth step. He realised that Theo hadn’t made it creak once during his patrol.

He could hear Theo in the living room, so he stood at the bottom of the stairs, arms crossed and eyes on the doorway. Theo glided into the hall and stopped suddenly, eyes moving up Liam’s body to meet his glare.

“C’mon.” And with that, Liam turned towards the kitchen, moving to pick up his keys from the counter and head towards the back door. He opened it as quietly as possible and waited for Theo to follow him outside before gently easing the door closed and locking it.

He huffed against the chill of the night air and hunched his shoulders, stepping into the back garden. Following the side of the house to the street, Liam took a right turn and started walking down the sidewalk. He didn’t wait to see if Theo followed, just kept walking. The wolf soon caught up, loping at his side and looking up at him. Liam just kept moving and eventually Theo’s head dropped back down.

Liam set a brisk pace, and it didn’t take them long to reach their destination. The woods loomed in the dark, a great mass of black only distinguishable from the sky by its lack of stars. Liam continued into them, Theo at his side. Eventually he stopped, Theo only taking a step before noticing the Liam was no longer moving. He looked up at the boy.

“Please go for a run and burn off whatever energy you have. The pacing is driving me insane and I’d like to be able to get some sleep tonight.” Theo did his little head tilt thing, but his ears flicked forwards and his tail twitched. “Seriously. Only come back when you’ve got whatever it is out of your system. I’ll wait here.”

Theo turned his head to the woods before looking back at Liam. So Liam walked over to a tree and sat at its base, shuffling into a comfortable position leant against the trunk. It seemed to be the push Theo needed, because he was off, trotting into the woods, head held low to the ground as he followed his nose into the darkness.

Liam sighed and closed his eyes, head falling back to rest against the tree.

 

***

It wasn’t long at all before Theo was back. Liam didn’t bother to open his eyes, the faint breeze brought the wolf’s familiar scent to him, the soft lope that Liam recognised from hours of pacing reached his ears as Theo came closer.

Liam could feel the restless tension still burning under Theo’s skin. Liam sighed.

He felt-heard-smelled Theo move tentatively towards him. Liam still struggled with chemosignals, but he was pretty sure he was picking up “uncertainty” from the wolf.

“What?” he said, eyes still closed. Theo froze. The feeling grew stronger. Liam slowly opened his eyes and rolled his head to stare at the wolf. “You’re like, even worse than before – just run it off so we can go home and sleep.”

Theo began to move again, but he was heading towards Liam. He circled around behind the tree, appearing at the other side and hopped over Liam’s legs, which were stretched out in front of him. He took a few more steps away from Liam, before pausing and looking back towards the boy. He twitched his head, snout jerking away from Liam towards the woods where he’d first disappeared.

Liam, as usual, didn’t get it.

Theo moved back towards him and nudged Liam’s foot with his snout, to which Liam pulled his leg up, dragging his foot away from the wolf. He was too tired for this. Theo let out an almost whine.

He poked his nose at Liam’s knee then bounced back, landing so that his front legs were stretched out in front of him, his body dipping so that his hind quarters were raised higher than his head.

He poked Liam again and jumped back with a slight yip, then repeated the movement with more vigour before shooting forwards and biting Liam’s sleeve, pulling and tugging so that Liam was forced to stand. He tried to pull his arm away, but Theo just adjusted his hold, closing his jaws around Liam’s hand and gently mouthing at it with just enough pressure for Liam to feel the points of Theo’s teeth without any pain. Theo started to move backwards, and Liam couldn’t do anything but follow him. The wolf twisted his neck and moved his body to stand alongside Liam, now able to move forward and pull him along, his pace getting faster and faster. Soon they were both stumbling through the woods, Liam half bent trying to prevent his hand from being torn in half, glaring as Theo happily dragged him along.

“Is this you getting me back for the leash comment?” Liam asked dryly. He could have sworn he saw Theo’s tail wag. Eventually Theo seemed to grow bored of pulling Liam  along, letting him go and circling round to face the boy again. Liam shook his hand, more for effect than anything else and glared at Theo, but the wolf just huffed and leapt forward to nudged his nose against Liam’s leg once again before dashing off a short distance. He ran back at Liam, touched him and jumped back with a yip.

“Wait, are you trying to play tag?” Liam asked incredulously. Theo’s tail gave a swish and he once again launched himself at Liam, bashing into him hard enough to make Liam stumble into a tree before tearing off into the woods.

Liam really couldn't help himself. He sprinted after the wolf.

 

***

It was exhilarating. Liam couldn't remember the last time he’d run for the sake of running. Couldn't remember the last time the deafening pump of blood in his veins and the strain in his limbs hadn't been accompanied by terror, anger, or pain. Even playing lacrosse didn't feel like this.

His hair flew wild about him, the air tore at his limbs as his feet ate up the ground. It felt like he was running faster than he’d ever run before. He was weightless. He was flying. He was free.

Theo was ahead of him, sprinting through the forest like he was made for it; a black spirit of the woods, leading Liam through them at the speed of light. He leapt and twisted and turned, sure footed and nimble, and Liam found himself following the wolf’s movements, cataloging and mimicking them without even having to think about it. Theo led him safely through the dark, and Liam lost himself to the run.

Ahead of him, Theo slowed, and Liam shifted his focus to the space ahead of the wolf, seeing a dark expanse that opened like a void. He grinned.

As Theo came to a halt, Liam forced his burning limbs faster. He flew up behind the wolf, bringing his body lower to the ground. Theo turned his head, eyes wide, and yelped at Liam. But Liam didn't stop, instead he stretched out his hand to hit Theo’s rump and pulled it out of reach of Theo’s jaws as the wolf tried to grab hold of him. Three steps later, Liam slammed his foot down and leapt into the expanse over the ravine. His arms flew out as he hurtled through the air. The seconds seemed to drag as he hung over nothingness, like the world was holding its breath. And then he was falling, falling, falling, and even with his wolf-eyes, Liam could barely tell where the ground began again.

Suddenly it was looming beneath him, and his feet smacked down. He fell forwards, tumbling in the most ungracious way, his face scraping across the ground as he rolled head over heels to land in a heap.

Liam stayed where he had fallen, taking in deep breaths as the thrill ran through him. His panting quickly turned into chuckles, growing into full-blown laughter. He twisted his body and pushed himself up to sitting, letting out a valiant whoop, head thrown back to shout into the night sky.

He finally turned to look back over at Theo, who was still stood on the other side of the ravine. The wolf was standing right at the edge of the cliff, his body held rigid, ears pricked forwards and eyes staring intently at Liam. Liam couldn't help but laugh again.

Theo snarled.

Liam stood up and brushed himself off, still laughing. Once he'd finally caught his breath somewhat, he looked back across at the wolf on the other side.

“Hey Theo!” he called. “You’re it!” And with that he began running along the edge of the ravine. Theo didn't move for a few seconds, but Liam kept going. He knew it wouldn't be long before Theo was racing along the other side after him and Liam knew he’d need the head start.

Sure enough, Theo was sprinting after him in no time. The only indication was the hushed tread of his paws against the ground, a sound which Liam could barely pick out even though he was straining to hear.

The wolf was making up the ground as the gap between the edges of the ravine began to narrow. Liam was barely ahead of him and moved his focus to the expanse between them, trying to judge when Theo would make the leap. He could practically feel the wolf’s gaze grazing over him again and again, but he refused to look back. One second of lost focus and Theo would be on him.

Then Liam heard it, the slight change in Theo’s pace. He finally chanced a look back in time to see Theo fling himself over the empty space between them, front limbs stretching forward as he arched through the air in a graceful leap, aiming straight towards Liam.

Liam twisted back around and staggered into a change of direction, pushing himself away from the ravine in a cloud of dust. He could barely make out the soft thud of Theo’s paws hitting the earth behind him in a landing more seamless than his own. The wolf didn't even pause, springing into a sprint after Liam, and Liam knew it wouldn't be long before Theo was on him.  _ Time to play dirty _ .

Liam flung his right arm out, grabbed a sturdy tree limb, and used it to pull himself into a right-angled turn with barely any momentum lost. He heard Theo skid behind him as he tried to make the turn. Liam laughed loudly into the dark, tears streaming out of the corners of his eyes as the air whipped into his face.

He continued to sprint through the trees, grinning like a maniac. He ducked and leapt and dodged around trees and bushes, barely slowing his gait as he changed directions again and again and again.

Liam was so caught up in his erratic trajectory that he didn't see the dark blur to his right until Theo was on him. The wolf had skirted round the boy like Liam was prey, finally positioning himself to run straight at Liam’s side, leaping through the air to land on his arm. They both tumbled to the ground.

The wolf scrambled up first, tearing off into the forest, followed closely by Liam. They ran and ran, Liam managing to catch up enough to graze Theo’s tail, spinning immediately to run in the opposite direction. Their game continued on and on, each of them winning and losing, tumbling and chasing each other through the trees, their shouts and barks echoing in the silent night. 

They played until Liam could barely breathe, until he finally wrapped his arms around the wolf the next time he leapt at him. They fell to the floor and rolled, Liam landing on his back and letting his arms fall to his sides. He was exhausted, but the exhilarated kind, the one where you can't help but smile through the pain, heart pounding in triumph, breaths tearing through him in the most wonderful burn. He felt  _ alive _ .

Theo lay next to him, tongue lolling as he panted, but he was clearly not as wrecked as Liam. 

“I’ll never be able to move again,” Liam wheezed, to which Theo nipped playfully at his shoulder, causing Liam to jerk upwards, away from the sharp teeth as Theo huffed in the imitation of a chuckle.

“Jerk,” he muttered fondly as he sat rubbing his shoulder. Theo just sat up next to him, looking smug. Liam couldn't help but laugh around heavy breaths. He let his head fall back and looked up at the sky, peeking through the branches. The moon shone down, over halfway to being full. He brought his hands up to his mouth and howled at it, long and high like a wolf’s. 

He glanced towards Theo.

“C’mon grumpy wolf,” he said. Theo gave him an aloof look, so he turned back to the moon and howled with gusto into the night. His eyes glowed yellow and the sound sang around them, louder than a human’s voice could ever hope to get. He once again looked at his canine companion. “I’m just gonna keep doing this until you join in.”

He took a deep breath, ready to increase the volume of his howls once again. But before he could let out a sound, Theo cut him off.

His howl was otherworldly.  _ How could something sound so deeply lonely and so majestic at the same time?  _ It sent shivers down Liam’s spine. The sound rang out into the night and all other noise ceased, as if in fearful reverence. Liam couldn’t help but join in, listening closely to the call with his wolf’s hearing, mimicking the sound so his own howl became less human. 

Their voices sang together for a moment before Theo’s tailed off. Liam looked back over at him mid howl to see the wolf’s eyes were closed. Theo raised his head again in song before Liam could bring his own to an end. He sounded different this time, the call more joyous, and he shifted his head, changing notes rather than holding one. Once again Liam followed Theo’s lead, closing his eyes and letting his heart dictate his call. Their songs twisted and turned around each other into a complicated duet, loud and strong and joyous, shattering the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy gang! Once again I apologise for the long wait. When did I even post chapter 7? I've lost all concept of time!!! 
> 
> Hope you all liked the fluff! We're gonna be going slightly darker soon. I have barely anything of ch9 written yet and I'll be going on a work trip to Paris soon, so I'm gonna be pretty frazzled for the next 3 weeks. This wait might be a long one, so sorry in advance! 
> 
> Sooooooo, as Heartlines is now over 15,000 words, it has officially become the longest thing I've ever written, overtaking my dissertation (which was not half as fun) by a good few thousand words. To celebrate I have decided to announce that Heartlines will have it's own series! Wahoo! We'll have outtakes and other character's points of view and even AUs (because your lovely comments have inspired some ideas that can't be in the story, but just had to be written!) I'm still figuring out a series title though... 
> 
> To my fellow Brits, I hope you're enjoying the snow and it's not making life too difficult! I had the misfortune of watching millions of kids sledging in the park outside work all of yesterday, and may have made the unfortunate decision to go for a walk on Tuesday during lunch, after which I returned bedecked as a snowman as I fought my way through a blizzard. Both of these things were actually quite fun and I got to work from home today so I'm not complaining! XD
> 
> Anyway, you know the drill: all the love and kudos to the wonderful human beings who have left comments. Each and every one of them fills me with joy and happiness! Fancy having a chat? Come speak to me on [Tumblr](https://autumnleavessoaring.tumblr.com/)! (I may not be very active on my blog, but that's me (not) getting over my anxiety of socialising via social media, aka I find it difficult to start conversations that aren't in person and freak out when reblogging posts, but can talk for England when someone else initiates the conversation, idk my brain's weird. Although, you probably already guessed that if you read my ramblings here...)
> 
> Sorry for the lack of Geyers - they'll be back soon!
> 
> Much love,  
> Autumn / Lauren


	9. No Rest for the Wicked - Theo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Good things never seem to last long for Theo.
> 
> Theo's POV.

Liam had been dead on his feet. Theo had contemplated leaving him to sleep on the street as they slowly made their way back to the house, but instead had nudged and pulled the boy home. Liam had crawled upstairs whilst Theo headed for the covers that Alicia had left for him as a nest in the kitchen.

It had felt good to get out of the house, like part of the weight pressing against him had lifted, even though his skin still felt stretched thin, stuck in this form. He'd let his instincts take over, let the woods flood his sense and let his feet take him where they pleased. He could breathe easier, and the itch to move lessened with each step. He breezed through the trees, let them blur past as he ran faster and faster, heard animals flee before him, smelt the past few days dripping from every surface, felt each muscle stretch and contract.

It lasted a glorious few minutes, the thrill of the run, but soon enough the tension in his stomach returned. Each step felt heavier. Every noise set him on edge. His muscles seemed to tighten. He'd never felt like this before as a wolf, had always felt stronger, faster, more dangerous than everything else. Free.

But now it was a cage that constricted around him. Now he felt vulnerable, trapped in a form that was not truly his own. It had been an escape once, but now this was ruined for him too.

A branch snapped in the distance and Theo froze, his muscles locking, tightly coiled to spring.

What he'd felt during those few minutes alone in the woods had not been true fear. It was not the terror that had gripped him as he was dragged to hell. It was not the hopeless fear that had smothered his very being in that nightmare of a hospital. Neither was it the begrudging dread that filled him when he'd been surrounded by hunters, being riddled with their bullets. No, this feeling was new to Theo, an unease that licked at his mind like an itch he couldn't scratch. It set his teeth on edge and created a pit in his stomach that, whilst not all-consuming like true fear, left him feeling hollow.

And Theo realised that, although he had spent the large majority of his life detached from every other person around him, he had never felt so alone. Not whilst being _here_. He felt exposed. Not only did Theo hate this feeling, but he was equally resentful of the ridiculous reason behind it. He would have laughed at himself if he could have, that hollow, spiteful laugh that had replaced the one he had as a child. But Theo could not.

His thoughts turned to the boy he'd left behind, and whilst everything that was still _Theo_ screamed at him not to, he couldn't help but turn back. By the time he had reached Liam he was strung tight, knowing that this was a pathetic idea, hating himself, and expecting Liam to laugh in his face. He stared at the boy, tentatively moving forwards before deciding to turn tail and head back into the woods. This was, of course, when Liam had opened his mouth. It had been the push that Theo needed to swallow his _uncertainty-reticence-fear_. Instead, he noticed the tension in the boy that mimicked his own, let it fill him with determination, and badgered Liam into joining the run.

When he'd raced away, Liam giving chase behind him, he had finally felt himself let go. The thoughts filling his mind drifted, and the negative feelings manifested by his instincts disappeared. He was left with the exhilaration of the run, the utter freedom of play. This was what his body was made to do, and it knew it. It almost felt like Theo was along for the ride.

Of course, Liam had to ruin it with his death-defying stupidity. Theo didn't want to think of how he'd felt as the boy threw himself across the ravine. But he could have murdered him. It was after that moment that Theo became more present in their game, felt himself come together in a way that he hadn't since before hell.

He could have continued their run all night, but Liam had other plans. Theo felt it too, the ache in his muscles, the difficulty catching his breath. But this form was made for endurance, hunts that lasted days, and whilst he'd pushed himself more than a wolf ever would over the distance they'd covered, he was also a chimera; an abomination, yes, but he was filled with otherworldly power, and in this form it felt limitless. He wondered idly if Malia or Derek felt similarly, or whether this was one instance where he was better, where he wasn’t a failure.

And then Liam had howled at the moon. If he had been in his other form, Theo would have had to fight to contain a laugh at the ridiculously cliché act. As it was, Theo’s wolf face was safe from revealing his true, very human, feelings. It was easy to act disdainful. Liam, however, was obviously not going to give up until he had what he wanted so-

The feeling of howling had caught Theo off guard. He hadn't ever done this before, always using this skin to be as a shadow in the world. But this was a call to be heard. It built in his chest as he took a breath, exploding out of him into the woods; a sorrowful question echoing through the trees.

And Liam had answered. Something tightened in Theo's chest at the sound. His call had tailed off and he let his head fall, eyes closed, listening to Liam's howl.

Without realising he was going to, Theo had howled again. This time it was different, felt different, and Theo soared with the sound as Liam joined him once again. It left him feeling breathless, even though his lungs continued to push air through him and the howl carried on. Theo lost himself in the feeling and the song, the world reduced to the air in his lungs, the stretch of his chest, the vibration through his neck, the song in his soul, and the call that answered it.

Before long it had been too much, and Theo ended his last note in a whisper, opening his eyes to find Liam's tired ones staring at him. He held the gaze for a moment, before standing and leading them back through the forest.

Now Theo felt the bone-deep weariness that he hadn’t in the woods. He circled around the middle of the blankets to curl into a comfortable position to sleep. His thoughts didn't slow, but they became blurred, incoherent, and before he realised what was happening, Theo had drifted into sleep.

  
***

  
Theo was running. The woods raced by in a blur of barely formed shapes. He couldn't feel the ground beneath his paws, but he could feel the motion of his steps.

There was a howl in the distance, and Theo’s heart skipped. He stopped, the world materialising around him as he called out in answer. The howl came again, and Theo trotted through the trees towards it. But when he heard it once more, it was further away. Theo howled into the woods: _wait!_ He picked up his pace, hopping over tree roots and brambles, fallen branches and rocks. He shouted again. _Where are you?_ The howl came back, this time behind him, and he whipped around in confusion.

The woods had turned to inky blackness behind him. It felt like it everything was coming closer, even though nothing moved at all. Theo took a step backwards. His whine was high, barely a whisper in the silence. He heard the howl again, but it was different, the sound had changed, the words were different, the meaning warped.

 _Theeeeeo_.

Terror gripped him. It left him immobile for a moment, before he forced himself to move, turning away from the sound and fleeing. The world had changed again, the woods turning to a sickly blue that was being swallowed by black, so dark he could barely see. He moved as fast as he could but the trees went past at a sluggish pace, like he was barely moving at all. He heard the howl again, the voice calling his name. _Her voice_. And he scrambled to run faster through the woods, to follow the corridors and push through the doors and find a place he could hide, an exit, a way out of the never ending maze of trees and rooms.

She was closer, he could feel her. She didn't need to call his name for him to know she was right there, almost on him, seconds from plunging her hand in his chest. He always knew where she was, but he never could escape her.

He dug his claws in to run faster, felt her heart beat faster inside his chest, their pulse a deafening roar in his ears.

But his paws were caught in something.

He looked down to see brambles wrapped around him, their thorns tightening into his skin, trapping him for her.

 _Theeeeeo_.

He ripped one foot free, took a step so that he could tear out his others. But his foot smashed through something with a crack, and he was filled with horror to see a jagged bone protruding from the ground, his paw resting on the broken piece beneath. His eyes tracked from the rib to the place where it met the spine, up, up, up to the empty skull staring at him, to the other remains littered around him, tangled in the thorny vines that coiled around him.

He knew these bones.

With a jolt he felt her fingers grip the fur of his back.

He couldn't find the breath to scream.

Theo thrashed frantically, trying to break free. He could barely move his legs against the tight grip of the vines. He rolled, the cold, hard tiles a shock to his overheated skin. He still moved frantically, heart pounding, but he could finally see that the objects trapping his paws were not plants and bones, but floral-patterned covers that had somehow become wrapped around him. He struggled free from them and sprang up, eyes darting and ears twitching to find her.

The world became more recognisable and he realised that he was standing in the Geyer’s kitchen. His heart still raced, but he finally understood that it hadn't been real. He wasn't back down there. It had been nothing more than a dream.

His heart still raced.

He wanted to run, but his muscles seemed locked in place. He wanted to be able to scoff at the nightmare, but his mind was filled with the memories of that place. He wanted to be free, but instead he'd brought her with him. She haunted him still, even though it had been months since she had last ripped out his heart. Even as a wolf, Theo still dreamed, and she always found him.

He wanted to scream. He wanted to cry. He wanted to be alone just as much as he wanted to be _near someone_.

 _Pathetic_.

He shivered with the feeling that something was behind him, managed to force himself to turn to see. But it was nothing, there was no one, and still it felt like he was a second away from being captured.

He wouldn't be able to sleep there tonight.

Theo tentatively took a step towards the hallway. It felt like his every muscle had been petrified, felt like he was made of immovable stone as he forced himself to inch forwards. But with every movement it became slightly easier, though the fear still thrummed through his body. Soon he was sprinting up the stairs, running until he was at Liam’s room.

Liam hadn't bothered to close his door, hadn't even bothered to take off his clothes or climb under the duvet before passing out.

Theo stepped tentatively into the room and forced himself not to move up to the boy on the bed. His nerves were still raw and his senses hightened, but he listened to Liam's soft breaths, each one seeming to ease away some of his tension. He was now fully in the room, and no longer felt like there was something stalking him just out of sight. His pulse still beat loudly in his ears, but his heart was no longer racing. He breathed in deeply, letting the scents wash through his nose and drown out the lingering stench of his own terror.

He looked at the bed, Liam's limbs starfished across it, before turning to the foot of the bed. He wandered over and nosed at it, finding the places where Liam and Mason’s scents were the strongest. He breathed the smells in, letting the emotions was over him, letting their familiar scents ground him.

He moved in a slow circle, laying so that he was curled into the spots, part of him bedded in Mason’s area, his head laid in Liam's, the smells held in the carpet filling his nostrils. He shifted slightly, disturbing the particles so that the scents rose up and seeped into his fur, creating a cocoon of smells.

With deep breaths, Theo final fell into dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Apologies for any typos/formatting errors, I've done this all on my iPad/phone. Let me know if you see any errors. And constructive criticism about anything is always welcome!)
> 
> So apparently I was incorrect and we have another update! Yay! Inspiration hit on Sunday and I smashed this out in a couple of hours. Of course I then had to type it up and fix all my changes in tense and rambling, incoherent sentences (because when I get excited and lost in the writing, past and present have no meaning and I just spew words onto the page, urgh). I really loved writing this, even though I usually hate it when people go back and describe the exact same scene from someone else's viewpoint :-/ I hope you guys didn't find it too repetitive! And no dialogue! What am I thinking??? Guess I didn't consider this when I came up with the bright idea to turn one of the two main characters into an animal… XD
> 
> Anyway I hope you liked this slice of angst! We’ll be back to the regular programming of fluff and cuteness in the next chapter, and some familiar faces will be joining our cast! Unfortunately I won't be getting the next chapter out for a while as I have so much prep to do for my trip next week and a super busy weekend. *sobs hysterically*
> 
> Once again thank you so much for all the comments and kudos! I can't describe the excitement I feel when I get a notification! Not only do you guys make writing this so much more fulfilling, but you're an endless source of inspiration for the fic. Soon enough you'll probably see things from our conversations appearing in the fic/series, (once I decide on a series title and get writing the extras!)
> 
> Come send me an ask or a message on [Tumblr](https://autumnleavessoaring.tumblr.com/) \- promise I won't bite! I will however squeal and freak out ;-)
> 
> Much love to you all,  
> Autumn / Lauren


	10. Priorities - Liam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the next day, and Liam actually learns quite a bit at school...

Liam awoke to the insistent buzzing of his phone. It felt like he’d barely slept at all, which - thinking about the previous night - was probably true.

He ran a hand through his hair, groaning, and looked blearily around the room. Something felt different, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Everything _looked_ exactly the same.

He pushed it out of his mind and stretched, feeling his muscles protest in an old familiar way. It was like waking up after a particularly strenuous practice, a rather refreshing feeling after he'd become used to the ache of a bruised and broken body. No matter how quickly he could heal, he always felt the after effects of a fight the next day.

Liam forced himself to crawl off the bed and into the shower, thankful that by some miracle he'd managed to wake up with just enough time for one. Otherwise even non-supernaturals wouldn't have been able to stand being close to his stench. But he would still be pushing it to get to school on time, and he thought he probably should check on Theo before heading out. As he washed, he racked his brain for something that could occupy the wolf whilst he was at school. He felt bad for being so frustrated with Theo before the woods. The wolf had clearly had a lot of pent-up energy, and seemed barely affected by the run that had wiped Liam out. Liam thought of him being stuck inside again for most of the day with nothing to do.

He stepped out of the shower and quickly dried off, pulling on the first clean clothes he could find. He then began rummaging around his room, flicking his wet hair out of his eyes as he pulled out books and DVDs, and located his remote under the mess on his desk. He spread it all out and took his DVDs from their cases, placing each carefully on top of its box. He stood back to assess the mess that covered his floor. Between the letters still scattered around and the new paraphanalia, there was barely any free space left, and he hoped that it would at least help alleviate Theo’s boredom until he was home.

He glanced up at his clock, eyes going wide at the time, and grabbing his phone and backpack, he rushed down the stairs, only to freeze in the doorway to the kitchen.

“Liam, about time!” his mom said, rising from the island and downing the last of her coffee.

“Why aren't you dressed for work?” he demanded.

“I told you, I took the day off so I could keep Theo company.”

“And I told you that you didn't need to!”

“Come on Liam, we can't just bring him here and then leave him alone all day.”

“Why not?”

“Because he’s a dog,” she laughed. “He’s not even settled in yet and we’re leaving him. He doesn't know we’re coming back.”

At that Liam looked over to Theo, who was also stood in the kitchen.

“Theo, we’re leaving now, but we’ll be coming back later. Understood?”

Theo looked from him to his mom and nodded his head, he turned back to Liam and stared at him pointedly, showing that he clearly didn't think this was going to work.

“See!” Liam exclaimed, flailing his arms in a very Stiles-esque movement.

Theo was right.

“Very funny. I've already been given the day off, and I have errands that Teddy can keep me company on. Now hurry up or you'll get detention.”

Liam looked over at Theo with a pained expression and shrugged. There was nothing he could do, Theo would be stuck with her until he returned from school.

His mom headed into the hallway to get her coat and Liam took the chance to speak to Theo without the risk of his mother thinking he’d finally lost it.

“Hey, so I took out some things for you in my room if you're bored. There's some books and DVDs and the TV, so feel free to use any of them. Sorry about my mom, once she gets something in her head…” he shrugged again.

Theo swished his tail once and tilted his head slightly, which Liam interpreted as an _“it’s fine, whatever”_ response, so Liam turned to follow his mom out the front door.

But before he could leave the room, Theo had clamped his jaws onto Liam's jeans.

“What?…” Liam asked, hopping back around. Theo let go and walked over to a bowl on the floor and looked down at it, ears flicked back. He whined.

Upon seeing the contents, Liam barked a laugh. Theo’s head snapped up and he snarled at the boy.

“Hey mom!” Liam hollered around his laughs, “You might wanna cook that meat you left out for Theo!”

“But I read-” she shouted back, before Liam cut her off at Theo's pointed glare.

“Nope, definitely cooked. Vet’s orders!”

“Ok, then. I'll pick up some dog food too today.”

Liam choked at Theo’s horrified expression. He caught his breath and, though the urge to see Theo being forced to eat dog food was difficult to refuse, he swallowed his laughter and shouted back.

“Don't worry about his food mom, I’ll sort it out! Deaton said he needs proper meat for…” he looked at Theo for inspiration but, of course, the wolf could only look back helplessly, “the iron?”

“I hope he’ll be paying you back for this, it sounds like it could cost quite a bit!”

Liam looked at Theo as he responded, “Don't worry about it.” He hoped Theo would understand that the response was meant for him too. Before Theo could do anything else to hold him up, he raised his hand to the wolf in goodbye and jogged out to the car, swinging the front door shut behind him. He slid into the passenger seat, his mom following him into the car, and soon they were pulling out of the drive.

“I've been thinking about what you asked last night,” his mom said, breaking the silence.

“About?…” He really hoped it wasn’t about what he thought it was about, but knew that his life didn't work like that.

“About true love,” she smiled, “and I've changed my mind.”

“So Disney endings do exist?”

“No, that's a pile of bull. There's no such thing as happily ever after, or _the one_ ,” she said, eyebrows raised and head wobbling as she scoffed out the term. It pulled an unbidden smile from Liam. “But there's something, with certain people... something after all the crazy, head-over-heels stage, that just… lasts.”

She paused, glancing across at Liam, who was adamantly looking down at his hands instead of at his mother.

“I know things didn't work out with Hayden, honey, but love isn't a one-time-thing. There'll be others, and what you have with them might be short lived, or last your whole life, and they all matter. But you can move on from them. Love _is_ true if you feel it, but True Love, with capitals, I think that's a thing too. And maybe it's a thing we can feel more than once. But if we’re lucky, I guess we don't need to.”

She paused again, before snorting. “Wow, none of that made any sense!”

Liam laughed, some of the tension at the awkward topic easing from him. “It was nonsense, but it made sense,” he admitted.

“That should be our family motto!”

Liam's laugh was easier than before. They were pulling up close to the school so he leant down to grasp the strap of his bag.

“Thanks mom,” he said, opening the door before she’d even pulled up. “Try to give Theo some space today.”

She made an affronted noise as he sprang out of the car, seeing the last few stragglers jogging into the school. But before he closed the car door, he leant down, looking awkwardly into the footwell.

“It wasn't about Hayden,” he said quietly. “I miss her, and she’ll always be important to me, but I get why it didn't work. I'm good.” He glanced back up at his mother.

“I know,” she said, with the perfect amount of surety, lightness and motherly fondness that Liam was left feeling instantly better, whilst also able to let the comment wash off him without too much embarrassment. “However, _you_ won't be in thirty seconds when the last bell goes.”

“Crap!”

And with that Liam slammed the door and sprinted off into the school, running down the corridors at a slightly faster pace than most normal humans could maintain.

Liam had flung himself into his seat in English just as the last bell finished ringing, earning a pointed look from his teacher, even though she leant down to scratch a tick next to his name on the register.

Liam didn't know it yet, but he should have been grateful for his lateness. It was this that saved him from a bombardment of questions from his best friend, who was currently across the school in math class, desperately trying to resist the urge to text Liam about the gossip that had spread around the school that morning. However, his teacher was well known for taking any phone spotted during class and conveniently misplacing it until the end of the day, and Mason was too smart to risk being separated from his phone, especially since he was one if the few remaining unofficial protectors of Beacon Hills.

But Liam would not be safe from Mason’s curiosity for long.

***

“Dude, what the hell happened and why didn't you tell us?”

Liam looked blankly at Mason who had, along with Corey, dragged Liam into a partially hidden corner of one of the corridors he took to biology class.

“Has something happened?” His heart picked up at the thought of having to deal with his first supernatural issue without the elder pack members.

“Yes, you carried an angry wolf into the woods!” Mason exclaimed.

“Bridal style,” Corey added and Mason gestured at his boyfriend in a _see!_ sort of way.

Liam’s mind went into panic mode which, in this instance, meant that all it could conjure was a high pitched tone through his head instead of an actual response.

“It wasn’t bridal style!”  _Oh smooth!_ Liam cringed.

“ _Not_ the part that you need to focus on Liam,” Mason said incredulously.

Liam really should have planned for this. The whole lacrosse team, barring Corey, had seen the wolf. Liam just hadn't thought that anyone apart from Nolan and Coach had seen what he'd done with Theo. But _of course_ they had, and _of course_ the news would have spread around the school.

Liam opened his mouth, ready to tell them everything, but then he remembered Theo’s adamance that no one find out, his panic whenever Liam brought it up. So he jumped into telling the others the same story he had created for the Sheriff.

Liam kept glancing at Corey, waiting for the boy to call him out on his lies. But he just nodded along with Liam’s tale and guilt coalesced in Liam’s stomach. He'd thought he'd never hide anything from Mason again after keeping being a werewolf from him. He was supposed to be the leader of the pack now, and here he was, lying to their faces. For Theo.

But wasn't Theo also his responsibility? Didn't he owe him for everything he had done since coming back?

He knew he shouldn't trust Theo like he did Mason or Corey. Knew that he shouldn't distinguish between new Theo and old Theo, that no matter how much he had helped, no matter how much he had changed, Liam shouldn't place Theo above his friends. Theo had gotten into his head before, had made him almost kill Scott, _had killed Scott_ , and had been set on killing Mason too.

But yet, Liam _knew_ that whatever Theo had experienced in hell had changed him. That he could, and had, counted on Theo to have his back. That maybe he’d be dead without him. He couldn't break the tentative trust building between them.

And so Liam betrayed himself and his pack, sure that he was making the right decision.

“I still think there might be something going on,” Mason said after he’d finished. “I mean, didn't you hear all that howling last night? I've never heard anything like it.”

“I dunno, maybe they were mourning him or something,” Liam offered weakly, scratching his head. Mason’s comment took him back to that moment in the woods, and suddenly he didn’t feel quite as bad anymore.

“Maybe,” Mason said, though he was clearly thinking _definitely not_. “We should probably look in the woods though, check whether there's anything strange going on. The last time wolves were dying, it was the Anuke-ite and I do _not_ want a repeat of that.”

***

Liam had thought that he’d never have to deal with stares and whispers at school again, not after everything that had happened. He had been quite lucky during that time, thinking back. His dad had been working at another hospital across the country, his mom at work in the next town over so often that she had mainly stayed out of the fear’s reach. The only indication that she was affected had been the increase in texts. She prided herself on giving him space, so Liam had known that it was gnawing at her too, had just about managed to force himself to respond enough to keep her happy. His parents didn’t know that while they’d been saving lives, so had their son. His parents didn’t know a lot of things. And he wanted to keep it that way.

But other people - the ones that walked through the school hallways, played on the same pitch and sat next to him in class - they knew that he was something else; an impossible thing. But they now shied away from the fact. It was a known, but unspoken thing. A way for the town to live in a tentative sort of peace, with most people intentionally ignoring everything that had happened whilst the Anuk-ite had poisoned their minds.

Liam was very happy with this arrangement.

But then he had stared down a feral wolf and carried its unconscious body into the woods, and now people were once again staring and whispering. _Damn you Theo_.

He couldn’t tune them out, the things people were saying, it was like his hearing was attuned to their comments, rather than everything else around him. Moments of clarity within a cacophony of noise.

“What’s happening now?”

“A wolf?”

“Do you think it’s something to do with him?”

“I don’t even leave the house when it’s dark anymore.”

“I heard he punched it to death.”

“My parents are calling animal control.”

“Why doesn’t he just leave, maybe it would all go away.”

“Liam.”

“Don’t tell your parents, they’ll tell mine and then they’ll force me off the team.”

“The police aren’t doing anything about it.”

“My mom wants us to move.”

“Do you think Hayden knew?”

“He’s dangerous.”

“Maybe he can control them.”

“I thought it had all ended. Maybe it won’t.”

“Why don’t they just tell us what’s going on?”

“Liam!”

A sharp kick to his leg returned Liam to the classroom. The teacher was looming over him, hands on her hips, scowl on her face.

“Sorry,” Liam mumbled, glancing awkwardly at the faces all turned to stare at him. “What was the question?”

“More of a request: pass the worksheets out. And stay with us or you’ll be joining me for detention tonight.”

Liam nodded his thanks to Mason for the kick that brought him back to the room, but otherwise avoided his and Corey’s worried stares as he placed the worksheets on their desk. He made the mistake of looking at someone on another desk as he moved around the room, but quickly ducked his head for the rest of it. He thought he would have been used to being the oddity at school, the person people looked at with fear, distrust, disgust. He’d been dealing with it long before becoming a werewolf. But it still stung.

He needed something to distract himself from the stares and the voices that seemed to echo around the school. So once the class began working on the worksheets, Liam turned to the boy’s behind him.

“What do you know about witches?”

Mason looked at him, bewildered. “That they have nothing to do with biology…”

“Just humour me,” Liam asked, looking down at his worksheet and scribbling nonsense as he felt the teacher’s gaze sweep across him.

“Okay…” Mason said, dragging out the word. “Well I suppose there are two types of what we would consider witches. The druids, now emissaries, like Deaton. People with knowledge of the supernatural and an understanding of how to harness it. Not inherently magical. Then you have the ones who _are_. They’re different, like werewolves, not exactly human. And generally very secretive. Most went into hiding during the witch trials, and they haven’t been particularly approachable since then.”

“Why?” Corey asked, staring at Liam.

“Well I mean,” Mason continued, lost in his explanation, and Liam quickly looked back at him, avoiding Corey’s gaze “if your people had been drowned and tortured and burnt alive, you’d be pretty reticent to open yourself up to that again. And now people have guns. Lots of guns.” He shuddered.

“Boys, back to the work or I’ll split you up _and_ put you in detention.” Liam hadn’t been so happy for a teacher’s intervention since coach pulled Gabe off him all those months ago. He turned back around, feeling Corey’s eyes on his back throughout much of the lesson.

***

Liam was sat on a bench waiting for the others to join him for lunch when he received the text from his mom. He also had a mouthful of water when he opened it, which was promptly ejected in a splutter as he choked on a shocked laugh.

It was a photo of Theo adamantly trying to pull away from the camera, an arm loosely wrapped around him and a bright pink collar with diamantes held close to his neck. It was quickly followed by another picture, this time with a plain, sky blue collar fastened around him. In this one, the wolf wasn't being held still, but sat looking up at the camera with what Liam thought to be a resigned expression on his face. It came with a caption: _Pink or blue?_ _x_

Liam laughed again, quickly texting back.

_I think you know the answer to that! Why are you getting him a collar? x_

_Pink it is! ;) don't want anyone to have the same first reaction to him as I did x_

Liam grinned at the thought of his mother brandishing a lamp at Theo, but it quickly fell from his face as he thought about what could have happened if his mom was the type of person to carry a gun. There were a lot more of those types around Beacon Hills nowadays.

_Good thinking! Sorry about that x_

_You may have taken 10 years off my life with the fright, but apology accepted. Anyway having T around means I get photos like this_

Liam’s phone buzzed again and there he was, sprawled across the covers mouth open awkwardly in sleep. And curled at the base of the bed, just below where Liam’s still shoed foot was dangling over the edge, was a sleeping Theo.

Liam’s brow furrowed, but his face melted into a smile as another text came through.

_Should I tell Mason that he may need to battle to keep best friend status? x_

“What’re you grinning at?” Mason asked, clambering onto the bench opposite Liam, who quickly shoved his phone into his pocket.

“Mom’s just being a weirdo.”

“Hey, don’t insult her! I love your mom, she’s awesome.”

Liam’s grin spread even wider. “True.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi gang! Sorry for the HUGE delay in updating! Life didn’t give me much time for writing, and when it did this chapter fought me, but it actually turned out to be one of the longer ones haha! Hope you enjoyed it and liked the addition of Mason and Corey - finally! And Alicia’s back, yay! Sorry to all of you who wanted Liam to wake up to Theo in his room! I don’t think they’re quite ready for that conversation yet, but at least Liam knows!
> 
> I kind of can’t believe that we’re only in our second day of Theo’s curse, it feels like we should be a month in! But that’s my slow writing for you…
> 
> Come see me on [Tumblr](https://autumnleavessoaring.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> Much love,  
> Autumn / Lauren


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